Anticipation
by lefty21
Summary: Future SS. Summer anticipates Seth's phonecall while Seth tries his best to keep Summer from finding out what took him so long to call. Beware of some adult content.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: So this is a look into Seth and Summer's future married life. They're now in their early thirties and the rest of the explanation for how they got to this point in their lives is explained in this first chapter. There will be more chapters, though the story only takes place over a time span of about 24 hours. Most of it's already written, just needs to be edited, so there won't be a long wait between updates. I tried my best to give accurate characterizations of them 15 years from now, but if anything seems out of character for them just chalk it up to ignorance, because I really have no clue how they would be fifteen years from now. Anyway, please read with an open mind as it's different from what I'm used to writing.

Warning: There will be sex in a later chapter (I'll give warning) and it's mentioned and referred to quite a few times, but as this is pg13 I won't get too explicit, though I probably will post a supplemental chapter in the M section to cover what I leave out, seeing as there are far too few fics these days, in my opionion, with _Intimate _situations for these two characters, and far too many that give me the squicks by having them in those _intimate _situations with other characters. So I try to remedy that by writing them myself.

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Summer yawned as she looked at her computer clock for what must have been the 20th time in the last hour. It was nearing midnight and she had been waiting for Seth to call since ten. She sighed inwardly in frustration as she refocused her eyes on the page layout in front of her.

She'd had to go into work at seven that morning for an early morning meeting with some potential ad backers, and while landing their business meant a success for the magazine and a positive side to having to wake at the crack of dawn, it also meant she had to spend the night before the magazine went to print trying to find a way to fit the companies ads into an issue that was already stuffed to capacity.

And the fact that Cohen hadn't called yet was making her night ten times worse. They had gotten into a routine for the almost two weeks that he had been gone. She'd put Noah to bed at around eight or nine, and by ten or eleven Seth would call. But tonight he was late, and Summer was starting to worry. It was midnight her time, which meant it was already three in the morning in New York where Seth was. He was never that late with his calls, and Summer couldn't think of anything that could have been keeping him.

To top it all off, she was really starting to get restless with him gone. It had started as a one week publicity trip to New York to promote his new book, but his greedy/publicity whore manager Anthony had kept finding more things for him to do. Summer didn't even understand why he really needed more coverage. He was already relatively well-known and successful considering the short amount of time he'd been writing. He was only thirty-one and hadn't been in the business for long, but he had already found a lot of success in the children's book genre, and he was just starting to branch into a wider range of audiences.

That's why he had been doing so much promotion lately. He had started a new series that he was hoping to reach an older audience with. He loved writing children's books and critics and readers alike had fallen in love with his talking horses and comic book-loving super kids, but there was more he wanted to do with his career.

It was after their first year out of high school that he realized it wasn't really the artistic aspect of story telling that made him happy. He liked RISD well enough, but he wanted to do more than just draw. He liked telling the stories first, and then illustrating them second. And since Summer had decided that while Brown was a great opportunity, it wasn't necessarily the best place for her to be, they had made a joint decision to move onto a new place together.

They liked the east and they were in no hurry to run home to mommy and daddy, so they looked at schools all around the Northeast area and settled on NYU. The school suited both of them, and the city was an awesome bonus. And it was there that Seth settled on a double major in Business and English with an emphasis on Creative Writing and Summer found an interest in Marketing.

After graduation they stayed in the city for two more years where Seth lived off his trust fund while he got a Master's from Columbia and Summer tried her hand at the work force. She found a quaint city magazine to work for that offered her room to grow, and while Seth furthered his education, Summer worked on creating a career.

And six months after finishing at Columbia, Seth and Summer went back to Newport, per both their parents request, to get married. But it was another two years after that had their parents making the flight to New York to see the birth of their first Grandchild, Noah Cooper Cohen.

And for a year after that they had been content in New York. The magazine was flexible with Summer's schedule which allowed her to be with Noah, and Seth worked on his writing from home, which gave him all the time in the world to spend with his family, which Seth had decided, was the absolute best perk of being a writer and his own boss.

But then, a little after Noah's first birthday, they returned to Newport, unfortunately much for the same reason that brought the Cohen family there so many years before. Like her mother, Kirsten had gotten sick. But luckily, if there was a lucky side to it, the doctors had caught her cancer early and started treatment right away. A little less than a year after she was diagnosed the cancer went into remission, and she'd been given a clean bill of health on each check up ever since.

After Kirsten had gotten better Seth and Summer talked about going back east, but the whole scare had been an eye-opener for both of them. They were realizing for the first time that as they were getting older and building a life for themselves, everyone else around them was getting older too. Their parents wouldn't be around forever, and they both decided that they wanted to stay close to their families and let Noah grow up being close with Sandy and Kirsten and Neil while there was still time. Neither wanted Noah to only know his grandparents during hard times, so they found a house near Seth's parents and settled in Newport, at least for the time being, Seth always made sure to add.

And now they were living the quintessential suburban life, and it really wasn't as bad as either of them had expected. Summer had gotten a great recommendation from her boss in New York for a home decor magazine based in LA and she had really taken to the new job. It had been a relatively new publication only distributed on the west coast, and the young reputation worked in Summer's favor because after only two years the owners were willing to take a risk and promote her to the assistant editor, and a position like that would open more doors for her. Three years later and the magazine had expanded to a national publication, having vendors in almost every major city, and Summer had felt proud being a part of that.

Seth in the meantime, came into his own as an author. He had found some success in New York, but it was in Newport that he really became a reputable name. He had written a series of short stories that had brought him name recognition. It was about a year after moving to Newport, though, that he started getting so many calls for interviews, public readings, and school visits that he had had no choice but to get a manager, which was where Anthony came in. And with Anthony he had grown even bigger. And after three years of steadily growing with Anthony Seth was finally in a position where he could branch out without fear of it ruining his image or killing his reputation.

Anthony could get him interviews and publicity opportunities all over the place, which would give Seth the chance to promote and explain his new angle. And it was this new work that Seth was currently promoting in New York. It was his personal accounts of the adventures he had had with Ryan since they had met- Tijuana, Vegas, the cross country road trip to deliver Seth's belongings to the east for college. It was Seth's very own _On the Road_, his and Ryan's _Kavalier and Clay_, Ryan the Cassidy to Seth's Kerouac, the Kavalier to Seth's Clay, though without so much of the promiscuity. And despite the fact that it took Seth away from home more than his writing ever used to, Summer was happy because she knew this was what made Seth happy. He had mumbled it into her hair or whispered into her ear more than a once during their late night talks that this was what he had been waiting for, the chance to tell this story.

So Summer sucked it up and was happy for him most of the time. His week or two away would always pass eventually and he would come home and the time apart would be forgotten until the time for another trip came again. It was only at times like this that it ever really upset Summer. When she was still waiting up past midnight for him to call after she had a long day at work and had to wake up at 6:30 the next morning to take Noah to an 8:00 soccer practice, then it started to frustrate her more than a little. And she couldn't just go to bed because she knew it wasn't like him not to call, which lead her to worry that something serious must have happened to keep him from doing so.

She yawned again as she tried to resist the urge to let her eyes wander to the computer clock again. She had already tried to call him when 11:30 rolled around, but the call went straight to his voicemail. She would try again if he didn't call in the next ten minutes.

Nine minutes and thirty seconds later she was reaching for her cell phone when the familiar tune of her ring tone erupted from it. She picked it up immediately and felt an immeasurable amount of relief wash over her at the sight of "Cohen" flashing across the display screen.

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AN: as always please review if you enjoyed reading and if you have some relevant suggestions or critiques that could help me improve the future chapters, just don't be harsh about it.


	2. Chapter 2

AN- Second part. This one's longer, as should the rest be. The first chapter was mostly just a setup for the rest of the story. To anwer the question of Noah's age, he's between 6 and 7 (sorry to the person I told 4 or 5 to). I know the years get confusing, but the basic gist is that as of now they've been in Newport for about 4 years, including their first year when Kirsten was sick. About the jobs, like I said, I tried to characterize them the best I could. I started writing this before ep. 4 this season, so I was still under the impression that the environmental thing was still just a phase and coping mechanism she would eventually grow out of.

AN2- as a side note, I've always worked without a beta before, but dumb little errors always seem to slip by, so if anyone would be interested in helping me out with the remainder of this story please let me know. Preferably I'd like a SS fan obviously, so they can give good input on characterization, and definitely someone comfortable with reading mature material. Thanks for anyone willing to help.

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"You had better have a really good explanation," Summer stated in lieu of a greeting.

Seth smiled at the sound of her voice on the other end of the phone. He had been looking forward to hearing it all day. "Oh good, you're still up."

"Cohen!" Summer pursed her lips even though Seth wouldn't actually benefit from the visual. "You were supposed to call two hours ago, and you'd better have a really good explanation for making me stay up worrying."

"No, I do, I promise. It's just complicated, and kind of a long story."

"Well I've been waiting for two hours; I can take a few more minutes to hear your excuse." Summer saved her work on the spread as she crossed her legs Indian style in the computer chair and waited for Seth to interrupt the dead air over the phone with his explanation. "I'm waiting, Cohen. And I don't care how late it is over there, you're not getting off this phone until you explain, and if you hang up before you're done your not getting anywhere near this bedroom once you get home."

"Alright," Seth sighed. "It was all Tony. I had just finished some interview with a small paper over here when he called and said we had to meet some people for some drinks to discuss some business. I told him that I wasn't interested in discussing business, that it was his job to discuss business, and that was why I hired him so I wouldn't have to. Then he said to trust him, I wanted to talk about this business."

"What was the business?" Summer asked, becoming interested despite her annoyance.

Seth smiled at Summer's sudden change in tone. She couldn't be that mad if she was interested in what he was saying. "Well I get to the bar and it turns out it was the owners of this small production company based here. They were interested in adapting the new book to film."

"That's incredible!" Summer smiled, all earlier anger fading away, being replaced by elation at Seth's news. "But how did Tony even get the meeting set up? He's a literary agent, how did he get in contact with these guys in the first place?"

"He'd been talking to them since before we left LA!" Seth said incredulously, "and I'm still a little pissed about him going behind my back," he added, "but he had already set up a meeting. That's why he kept finding ways to keep us here longer. The owners couldn't meet until this week and Tony didn't know how I'd react and he didn't want to give me the chance to say no before we even met with them."

"So how did the meeting go? Is it happening?"

"Um…" Seth considered how to word it. "Well, we have a tentative agreement. They seemed like really cool guys who won't completely massacre my story, and they're not a huge Hollywood production company only trying to make money, so I kind of have faith that they might be able to do it justice. And they said they'd insist on me have a lot of say in the creative aspect of the production which would make me more comfortable handing my story over."

"That sounds great," Summer smiled. "I wish I could be there to celebrate with you," she started happy, but had slipped to dour by the end of the phrase, being painfully reminded that he was still 3000 miles away.

Seth kind of scrunched up his face in a "wait, there's more" kind of expression before he started hesitantly "Oh, well... uh... there's kind of more. You see, the celebration is actually where the real explanation comes in."

Summer's eyes narrowed. "There's more?"

"Yeah, we finished with all of the agreement stuff, but then the guys wanted to stay and celebrate the deal. You know, toast to the new partnership."

"So you've been out all night drinking?" Summer concluded with an eye roll. It didn't exactly make her happy, but it wasn't nearly as bad as what she had been imagining before when she was waiting for his call.

"Well I didn't want to," Seth added quickly. "I tried to excuse myself and go back to the hotel, but Tony pulled me aside and guilt-tripped me into staying. He said they were about to pay me a large sum of money to basically give me and my book more publicity and the least I could do was have a few drinks with them and pretend like I wanted to be there."

"So how long did you stay out?"

"At the bar, only about an hour," Seth answered, though with a hint of foreshadowing.

"And then you went back to the hotel and called me?" Summer questioned, though they both knew it was only to lead him to admitting whatever he was hesitating telling her about.

"Well not exactly. I wanted to go home and call you, but after a few too many drinks for the other guys they got an even more _brilliant_ idea-," Seth rolled his eyes. "Note the sarcasm."

Summer's eyes narrowed. "Noted. Now how brilliant, and why is it sarcastic?"

"Now remember," Seth hurried, "I didn't want to do any of this. I was dragged along by Tony, so please, _please_ remember that I love you and don't get mad."

Summer was losing her patience, and if he beat around the bush anymore she would possibly be driven to a rage blackout episode just by that. "Seth, just tell me!"

"There was a, uh…" Seth hesitated, "a gentlemen's club down the street from our hotel that the two guys wanted to check out."

"And Tony just had to drag you kicking and screaming, I'm sure," Summer commented dryly, unwanted images of her husband receiving slutty lap dances and invitations for private shows in the back now swimming through her head.

"Practically," Seth answered seriously. "Summer they were three grown men away from their wives and girlfriends with the perfect excuse that they were at a business meeting. I couldn't stop them and Tony wouldn't let me leave until I put in an appearance."

Summer inwardly deflated. Nothing made a girl feel missed and appreciated more than knowing that her husband was hitting up the strip clubs and ogling half naked 19-year-olds as soon as he was away. "You know, you're a grown man away from your wife, too, Cohen," Summer said pointedly. "You sure you weren't a little tempted to take advantage, too?"

"Yeah, Sum, I'm a grown man away from his wife, but I also chose to leave that place as soon as possible so I could call you." Seth then lowered his voice and whispered huskily, "Besides, do you really think I wanted to be out celebrating like that when I would have much rather been home celebrating with you."

Summer shivered at his innuendo but immediately disregarded it. It wasn't like sweet words and hushed verbal foreplay would lead to anything tonight. He was still 3000 miles away and all the desire and missing him in the world wouldn't bring him home so she could do something about it.

Summer smiled sadly as she brought her mind back to their conversation. "I know you probably didn't want to go, and it's not really even the strip club that's bothering me. I just… I miss you, and knowing that you were at a strip club with skanky, barely legal girls throwing themselves at you just rubs it in."

"I miss you, too," Seth spoke softly. "And I didn't even look at those girls. The worst I did was loan Tony some singles so he could get some free feels."

"He's such a pervert," Summer muttered. "So now that Tony has completed his secret agenda is he going to let you come home?" Summer asked quietly, fingering a piece of scrap paper on the desk to distract herself from how sickeningly needy she sounded to herself at that moment.

"Yeah, finally," Seth said, happy to deliver some good news finally. "I have a flight booked for the morning after tomorrow, but now I'm going to see if I can bump it up to tomorrow."

"Good, two weeks is too long, Cohen. Tell Tony if he pulls something like that again I'll make sure he'll never have a desire to go to a strip club again."

"Aww," Seth cooed playfully, "Are you getting restless?"

Summer smirked mischievously. "I'll show you how restless I've been when you get home tomorrow."

"Ooh, I'll be dreaming about that tonight," Seth smiled. "But it'll have to wait until after I take you out for dinner for being so patient with this whole trip."

Summer smiled at Seth's attempt at smooth talking her. "I can take you up on that, but what do you plan on doing with your son while you're romancing me?"

"Well after playing a few rounds of catch-up Playstation with him I'll drop him off with my parents to spend the night. They've been asking for a weekend with him anyway, and they'll understand why we want the time alone."

"Ew, Cohen." Summer squirmed and wrinkled her nose in discomfort. "Don't say things like that. You're parents aren't suppose to know when we're having sex."

"What, Summer, they're not stupid. They know what we do when they're watching Noah."

Summer grimaced as she brought her attention back to the computer long enough to click the shutdown option. "Well, you don't need to bring more attention to it."

Seth smirked. "Alright, I'll keep those comments to myself from now on."

"Good," Summer said as a yawned escaped her mouth. It had been along day and now that she knew everything was okay with Seth her adrenaline was dying down and her need for sleep was setting in.

"You sound tired," Seth noted with concern. "Was it a long day?"

"Oh yeah," Summer yawned again. "Into the office by seven, pick Noah up from daycare at four then to my dad's for dinner until eight. I didn't even get Noah home to bed until close to nine."

Seth felt a knot in his stomach as Summer went through her list of grievances of the day. He wished he could have been there to help her, or to at least relieve her of some of the stress once she had gotten home. He could give some award winning massages and he wished for nothing more than to be home at that moment to run his hands over Summer's aching muscles.

"Well at least tomorrow's the weekend and you'll be able to get some rest," Seth said, trying to placate Summer's nerves just as much as his own guiltiness.

"Yeah," Summer replied pointedly. "I can rest as soon as I take Noah to his soccer practice at eight in the morning, go grocery shopping, find a topic for the center spread for next month's issue, and clean the house since the maid is off this week."

"I'm sorry, Sum. I promise as soon as I get home you'll be able to relax. You won't have to worry about Noah or anything around the house."

"We'll see," Summer said skeptically, though there was a lightness to her tone. "Just hurry up and get home and I'll be happy."

"Gladly," Seth smile, relieved that Summer didn't seem nearly as frustrated as she probably should have been. "So, do you have any special requests for dinner tomorrow night?" Seth chose to change the subject then to something that might be able to cheer her up.

Summer's demeanor lifted a little at the mention of this and she began to consider her options. "Well… let me think about it…"

Seth left her to consider her options for a few moments, relieved that he was able to provide her with probably her first chance all day to actually think about herself and her needs.

But just as Summer was about to make a suggestion Seth became distracted with something on his side of the phone. "Hey, Sum, hold on just a second?"

"Yeah, sure," Summer conceded, though disappointed to have him distracted. She heard some mumbled voices and rustling around coming from Seth's end, concluding with his utterance of "Thanks, have a good night," to whoever he had been talking with.

Summer considered the exchange curiously in her head. "Who was that?" she asked once Seth averted his attention back to the conversation again. "I thought you were in your hotel."

"Oh, uh…" Seth stuttered. "No, I was just getting back. That was the, uh, cab driver. I was paying him."

Summer narrowed her eyes, though Seth couldn't see. "Why were you taking a cab? You said the club was right down the street from the hotel."

Seth gritted his teeth and inwardly groaned at Summer's memory of their earlier conversation. "No, yeah, you're right. I, uh, just needed to check something somewhere else real quick before I went back to the hotel."

"Okay, yeah, thanks Cohen. 'Check _something_, _somewhere_ else real quick.' That doesn't sound vague or suspicious at all. I'm mean clearly that explains everything, and there'd be no reason for me to wonder why you couldn't have called me earlier while you were checking on whatever it was you were checking on and wherever it was that you were checking on it."

"Well good, I'm glad we're on the same page," Seth mumbled as he cringed at her tone. "Anyway, about dinner…"

"Seth, where'd you go?" Summer demanded, though not very harshly, just seriously enough that Seth would know not to try to evade the question again. It wasn't so much that Summer didn't trust Seth; the only reason she was even getting worried was because of his obvious desire to hide whatever he had been doing.

Seth sighed. "Fine, I'll tell. But the only reason I didn't say anything was because it didn't work out and there was no point in telling you if it turned out to be a disappointment anyway."

"What didn't work out?"

"After I left the, uh," he hesitated, "club… thing-"

Summer rolled her eyes. "Strip club."

"Uh, right, that" Seth stuttered. "Anyway, right after I left I was just really… restless, and I didn't want to have to wait another day to get home, not with news like this. So I called JFK to see if they had any flights out tonight. And they did, but all the seats were reserved, but they said that there may be some no-shows, and if I wanted any chance of getting one of those flights I should come down and wait at the terminal. Well I did go… and I waited there for like two hours until the very last flight home for the night took off."

"Aww, Cohen…"

"Yeah, I know, I'm adorable. Too bad it didn't actually work," Seth drawled bitterly. "Anyway, then I moped my way back to the street, got a cab, called you, and here I am now."

"Oh, Cohen, the effort was sweet even if it didn't work out," Summer cooed, though now she was even more depressed that she couldn't be with him at that moment. It really did just make it worse to know that she had been that close to being able to see him in just a few hours. Cohen was right; she really would have preferred not to know since it didn't work out.

Seth scoffed. "Yeah, maybe sweet, but fruitless none-the-less."

"Not entirely fruitless. Thanks to that story I miss you even more, now."

"Yes, that makes me feel loads better," Seth mumbled. "We both miss each other more than ever but I can do absolutely nothing about it because I'm stuck in stupid New York. You know I used to like this city, but now it sucks!"

"Aww, Cohen, you don't think New York sucks. You're just frustrated."

"No right now it sucks. It sucks because it's 3000 miles away from Newport which means I'm 3000 miles away from you!"

"Now who's sounding restless," Summer smiled.

"Well I can't help it. I am frustrated," Seth huffed, lowering his voice. "I've been away from you for almost two weeks and while I've missed your companionship and all that stuff, I'm not exactly a saint, either…"

"And…?"

"And… and I just really want to be able to touch you right now…"

"Hmm," Summer agreed as her imagination went to work of it's own accord, creating many delightful interpretations to exactly what he was implying.

"I mean, two weeks is a really long time when I'm used to seeing you everyday... And every _night_…" Seth continued low and husky, giving that imagination of hers less details to wonder about.

"Seth… don't."

"Don't what?" Seth asked innocently.

Summer rolled her eyes. "Don't start with innuendos and suggestive comments when we obviously can't do anything about it now. You're just going to end up frustrating both of us."

"Well…" Seth started slowly, in the same husky voice. "There's not exactly nothing we can do about it."

"And that's supposed to mean?"

Seth paused a moment for effect before whispering, "What are you wearing right now?"

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And so ends chapter 2. Please review. Number 3 should be up soon.


	3. Chapter 3

Here's chapter 3.

WARNING: There's definitely a lot of suggestion in this chapter, so please, if you're not comfortable with it don't read. Nothing too explicit for the rating, but definitely suggestive content, so consider this a fair warning and please don't review just to say you were offended by it or something.

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Summer rolled her eyes and sighed heavily in irritation. "Seriously, Cohen! Phone sex?"

"What!" Seth asked defensively. "It's not like we haven't done it before, and at least it's something."

"Cohen! We haven't done that since junior year during my semester abroad! And that was five months, not two weeks. We're adults now, we're supposed to be a little more reserved and self restrained than that. I think we can wait another day."

"Who says we have to be more restrained? So we're older, it doesn't mean we have to just rollover and submit to a boring middle-age life doomed to boring missionary sex twice a month every other Friday night! We're still allowed to have fun, even if we are 3000 miles away from each other."

"Seth, it's embarrassing," Summer sighed, exasperated. "We're married and parents. This is like a plot out of one of those cheesy teen sex comedies. I think we're above that now."

"Maybe you're above that, but I'm not. I miss you, and like I said, I'm not a saint. Those strippers didn't do anything for me, but it certainly got me thinking about you. You can't possibly be offended that just the thought of you has me turned on enough to suggest resorting to something we haven't had to do since we were in college?"

"I'm not offended," Summer conceded, feeling a little bad for reacting as harshly as she had. "I'm embarrassed. I miss you, too, and I'm no saint, either. I want you here for the same reason you were so eager to get home tonight. But I think it'll just be too uncomfortable. I haven't exactly been working on my dirty talk between working fifty hours a week and raising a six-year-old."

"That's fine, I'm not picky. I'll take whatever you've got."

"Seth…" Summer said sternly, though she was smiling on the other end of the phone.

Seth smiled and let out a small laugh. "I was just kidding. Look, it was just a suggestion, and I know I'd be up for it, but if you don't want to that's fine. I'm not a baby, I can take rejection."

"Seth, this is not a rejection and you know it."

Seth laughed again. "I know. I was trying the kidding thing again. Clearly it doesn't go over well this late at night. Anyway, it's fine if you're just not up for it."

Summer could feel her resolve buckling. Why did he have to be so nice about it, even after she had basically scoffed at him and said the idea was immature?

Seth waited a few moments for Summer to respond. "Sum, you still there?" he asked as he pulled the phone from his ear to make sure it was still connected.

"Uh, yeah, I was just thinking…"

"About…?" Seth urged.

Summer smirked, "What are you wearing right now, Cohen?"

"Seriously?" Seth asked in disbelief.

"Come on, Cohen," Summer ignored his shock. "It was your idea. So, what is it? Are you already stripped down to your Wonder Woman boxers or are you still in your little suit Tony no doubt made you wear for that meeting."

"Uh… the, uh…" Seth stumbled over his words as he looked over himself. "I'm still… uh, the suit. I'm still in the suit."

"Clearly this direction isn't quite working for you, Seth," Summer roused, teasing his stuttering. "Maybe you should start."

Seth nodded in response for his own benefit as he stuttered and squeaked, "Uh, yeah, yeah, that works. Uh… what are _you_ wearing right now?"

"A black teddy with red lace and some very well-placed holes," she whispered temptingly, anticipating his reaction. She could practically hear his breath catch in his throat.

"Why…? What are you wearing that for?" he asked, sounding completely naïve and confused, and also incredibly cute to Summer's ears.

She really wished he wasn't so far away because she would have loved to see his face at that moment. She smiled before answering, "For when the pool boy comes over to take care of what you left alone for the last two weeks."

Seth narrowed his eyes, not amused. "We don't have a pool boy. And that wasn't funny, Summer."

"Oh, darn, that's right, I guess we don't have a pool boy. I must have been channeling Julie for a second, there," Summer answered in that innocent-but-I'm-really-naughty voice that always got to Seth.

"What are you really wearing?" Seth asked, regaining his composure but losing his ardor and excitement. He sounded more annoyed than anything at that moment.

"Aww, Seth, don't be mad," Summer laughed at his sudden business-like tone.

"Well then stop teasing me," Seth pouted. "I was being serious."

Summer struggled as she tried to regain her own composure and erase the humor from her voice. "No, I am, too. From now on, I promise, I'll be completely serious."

"Fine," Seth accepted, though he still sounded like he was pouting. "What are you wearing?"

"A white tank top and your Wonder Woman boxers," Summer answered matter-of-factly as she brought her knees up to her chest to make herself more comfortable in the computer chair.

Seth stayed silent for a few seconds as he let her words form an image in his brain and he took the time to appraise and appreciate it. "That's actually pretty hot," he breathed as an image of her wearing his boxers, sprawled out on their king size bed beckoning him to her played through his mind.

"I know," she replied, smirking.

"Where are you?" Seth continued.

"Right now I am sitting at the computer in the upstairs office."

"Ooh, that's hot," Seth commented, the usual sarcasm dripping from his words.

"Well where should I be to fulfill this fantasy of yours?" she asked expectantly.

"Maybe you should move into the room," Seth suggested, voice lowered to a husky whisper. "You know, get comfortable on the bed. You're in for a pretty wild night."

"Oh am I?" Summer played along, though they were both finding it pretty hard to take their game very seriously at the moment.

"Oh yeah," Seth attempted a sexy voice. "And you might want to make sure your and Noah's doors are closed. I wouldn't want you waking him up with your moaning."

"What makes you so confident that I'll be moaning? You have a lot of faith in you words and my fingers."

Seth's heart skipped a beat at her words and he had to force himself to take his next breath. "Wow, don't be so shy, Sum. No suggestive talk and innuendo for you, huh? Right to the point."

"Well, seeing as how I'm going to be having such a "wild night" I figured why waste time trying to be modest."

"Right," Seth exhaled. "Uh, anyway," he cleared his throat. "Are you in the bedroom yet?"

"Hold on," Summer whispered, "I'm checking on Noah." Seth cleared his throat again. She rolled her eyes. "_And_ making sure his door is closed."

"Good, let me know when you're in the room."

Seth waited for Summer to finish her task while his mind pondered the different ways he could use to carry out his intentions.

"Cohen, are you still there?" Summer asked after about a minute.

"Uh, yeah, still here, just zoned out for a minute."

"Oh, well I'm back," Summer said as she adjusted herself on their bed. "So are you ready to blow my mind?"

"Are you settled and comfortable? Because I can't have you all moving around while I'm trying to do my thing, it'll throw off my groove."

"Okay, you realize we're not actually having sex, right?"

"Yes," Seth snarked. "But this still takes some concentration, and I am still a man and my manly confidence still rests on my ability to please you, even if it is over the phone," he whined.

"Alright, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to step on your game. I'm ready, promise. I'm down for the night," she said as she settled back against the pillows. "Continue."

"Okay, here goes…" Seth started as he tried to find the best way to begin this. Just as he was about to begin the very loud, obnoxious honking of a big rig drowned his voice out. He quickly tried to cover the mouth piece before Summer heard, but she was already inquiring before he had even raised the phone back to his ear.

"Was that a car horn?" she raised an eyebrow.

"Uh, yeah. You know New York, the city that never sleeps," Seth commented casually. "Anyway, back to my business…"

"That was really loud, Cohen," Summer pointed out, slightly curious. "What? Was Tony too cheap to spring for a hotel that wasn't right over the freeway or something?"

"Uh, yeah, pretty much. You know he's cheaper than an old Jewish man. It's a good thing he's a literary agent and not a travel agent, huh?" he finished lamely.

"Uh, sure…" she concluded, growing bored and just more confused with the conversation. "Anyway, back to our midnight phone rendezvous… And make sure your window's closed to at least try to keep some of the noise out, and, you know, to stop your moaning from waking up any poor people across the alley trying to sleep," she added suggestively, remembering Seth's earlier comment.

"Ooh, I like the sound of that," he whispered.

"Yeah, well," Summer smiled, "You're not the only one who's going to be doing some mind-blowing tonight, Cohen."

"Really, so what do you have in mind for me?"

"Uh uh, Cohen, this was your idea, you get to start. What do you have in mind for _me_?" she tried in her best sultry voice, at least under the somewhat awkward circumstances.

"Well let's see," he thought out loud. "Where would I start? You said you just have the tank top and boxers on, right?"

"Yep."

"What about underwear?" Seth raised an eyebrow and smirked.

she smiled, anticipating his reaction. "Nope."

"Uh," Seth grabbed at his chest and groaned even though he knew Summer couldn't see. "Be still, my heart. You're going to drive me crazy, you know that?"

She smirked on the other end. "Well, I try."

"Try less," he said in a play-exasperated voice. "I'm getting old. You might give me a heart attack picturing you lying all alone on our bed like that."

"Is that making you hot, Cohen?" Summer whispered.

"Oh yeah," Seth answered eagerly; he was finally beginning to actually get into what had mostly just been playful banter before.

"And what would you do if you were here, Cohen?"

"Oh," he groaned. "Well, I would definitely, _definitely_ start with kissing you. I've really, really missed your lips. When they get all full and pouty… yeah, I would definitely have to start there…"

"I can't believe you just used the phrase full and pouty, Cohen," she laughed. "You sound like a gay photographer."

But Seth just ignored her. He was getting into it, and he continued in a low, husky voice, "But I don't think I'd be able to just kiss you. I wouldn't be able to stop my hands from sliding around your waist or into your hair. And if you had it up, like you usually do at night, I probably wouldn't be able to resist pulling it down so I could run my fingers through it…"

And at his words Summer unconsciously brought a hand up to the back of her head to feel at the loose bun she had set her hair in. Without thinking her fingers immediately moved to pull the band out and let her hair fall loose around her shoulders.

"And I probably wouldn't be able to focus on just your lips for too long, either. And I'm sure you'd have your neck all stretched out and inviting by this time just to drive me even more crazy, and I wouldn't be able to help kissing it, sliding my lips down to kiss and taste all of that newly exposed skin. And just as my lips would move down your jaw and neck my hands would probably just be winning the battle with my brain to stay on the outside of your clothes for a little longer. They wouldn't want fight the urge to slide up the back of your shirt and feel all of that smooth, hot skin you insist on keeping covered…"

And despite all of Summer's reservations when Seth had first mentioned it, she couldn't help but imagine everything Seth was saying. Despite all of the time that had passed, he was, surprisingly, still really good at this. Her breaths were growing shorter and she could feel her heart speeding up some. It was making her desire for him to be there at that moment all the more unbearable.

Seth stayed silent for a few moments, giving his words time settle in and hopefully permeate whatever inhibition Summer may have been having.

"Then…?" She finally breathed, urging him on, quickly growing tired of the suspense.

"_Then_… I would appreciate that for awhile. After almost two weeks I'd want to get reacquainted with all of that skin and all of those little hotspots I've missed so much. I would definitely spend time tasting and savoring every bit of skin around your neck. And my hands… well they'd want to, but I think I'd be able to restrain them for awhile from going right to where they want to be. I mean, as much as they like their final destination, they like the teasing, too. They'd want to slide across and massage every inch of skin they could. Uh, and your waist…" Seth groaned in the self-imposed agony that just thinking about what he couldn't have was bringing him. "I love being able to grip you bare waist and run my hands up and down your smooth sides. And the way you squirm when my thumbs brush across your rib cage and then move higher…"

Summer's mind was starting to reel. He was still _really_ good at this! The images he was making play across her mind were translating into sensations all across her body that she knew weren't really there but still couldn't help feeling. In her mind she could feel his lips alternating between suckling and kissing her skin as they slid across her neck and shoulders, and his hands massaging up and down her sides, teasing her by just barely brushing the sides of her breasts.

And as Seth's voice and words wreak havoc on her nervous system, she became more and more unaware of everything else going on around her. As his voice drifted into her ear over the phone she was only vaguely aware of the squeaky ceiling fan that had been annoying her to no end five minutes before, and she could barely distinguish the sound of a car door slamming shut in the distance from the sound of her heart pounding in her chest.

"God, Cohen…" Summer breathed as she squirmed in place on the bed. "Have you been practicing or something?" she asked in disbelief of the effect just his words were having on her.

A slight, self-satisfied smile slid across Seth's face but he didn't respond, not wanting to interrupt the flow. Instead he continued with his verbal seduction, having no greater strategy than simply whispering everything he wished he could do to her at the moment into her ear.

"And by this point you know what just touching you would be doing to me, Sum. I would be going crazy… I _am_ going crazy. If I was there you would be able to feel how crazy you were making me pressed against you hip," Seth spoke barely above a whisper as he surveyed his new surroundings to make sure no one was around to hear all the intimate details of what he wanted to be doing to his wife at that moment. He leaned back for a moment and breathed in the crisp night air, a refreshing change from the city. He could hear a dog barking a few houses down, probably disturbed by the sound of the car pulling into the driveway and the door slamming.

He then turned his attention to the house in front of him. The front seemed like a black canvas with all the lights in the front rooms turned off and only the porch light left on to guide him to the door. Intuition told him, however, that there was someone waiting for him inside.

He smirked as he started towards the door, listening to Summer expound on all she'd like to be doing to him at that moment. Once he reached the front step it only took a few moments before he got the door open. He quietly slipped in, cringing when the hinges creaked at the added pressure of his shoulder brushing against the door. Once inside he softly pushed the door closed again, hoping to avoid the telltale clicking of the bolt springing back into place.

"Cohen…? Cohen?" Seth's attention was suddenly brought back to his phone and more importantly the person on the other end of it. Crap, what if she had heard the door creaking through the phone or something?

"Uh, yeah?" he asked, cautiously.

"Are you still with me? It seemed like you zoned out for a minute, there."

He hesitated for a moment before deciding to take this pause as an opportunity to carry out his original intent. He hated to do it and upset her, but he had to if he didn't want to get caught. But it was still hard; he could only imagine how pissed and confused she was going to be.

"What'd you say, Sum?" Seth asked into the phone, feigning confusion. "You're breaking up; I couldn't make out anything you just said…"

"What?" Summer asked, panicked. "What are you talking about? I can hear you perfectly."

"I can't hear you, Sum," he reiterated, though his stomach was twisting in knots from the guilt he felt about lying.

"No, Cohen, I'm right here," she whispered urgently into the phone, trying to stay quiet so she didn't wake Noah, but becoming more irritated by the second as she sat up to see if the new position would help her reclaim her lost signal. "Seth? Seth? Are you still there?" she questioned frantically as she pulled the phone from her ear to check her bars, but all of them were visible. "Cohen, fix your phone!" she demanded, though she knew it was pointless.

"Sum? Summer?" Seth said one last time before bringing the task to a close. "Sum, I think I lost the connection…" and with that he softly shut his phone, avoiding the clicking sound it usually made when it closed.


	4. Chapter 4

So here's chapter 4. This was the chapter I was planning on splitting and giving two different ratings to but apparently it's not all that bad, so it's just going to be posted like normal.

WARNING: There are mature scenes so please read with caution and don't read if you're not comfortable with it.

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"No, No, Seth, don't hang up! I'm right here… Seth…? Seth…?" Summer slammed her phone shut in frustration after several seconds of no response. The damned phones had never lost connection in the middle of a call before. _Why the hell did it have to happen tonight_, she fumed in her head.

"Shit!" She finally cursed in defeat as she let herself fall back into the bed against her pillows. "Cohen, you had better find some way to call back in, like, the next five seconds before I fly to New York tonight just to kick your ass," she mumbled as she let out a labored breath that did nothing to relieve the tension Seth had been building in her.

And while Summer quietly seethed from frustration in their bed, Seth quickly, and as quietly as his impatience would allow, ascended the half spiral staircase to the second story, taking most of the steps two at a time.

He reached the second landing in record time, and as he rounded the corner into the hallway he was met with a series of closed doors, but the one at the very end had a slight glow leaking from beneath it, letting him know the occupant of the room was still up.

He approached the door slowly, holding his breath. He softly pressed his ear to the door, listening for any signs of movement. He had arrived just in time to hear Summer angrily muttering that she was about to fly to New York just so she could kick his ass that night. _What a welcome_, he thought with a smile.

He paused outside of the bedroom door for a few moments, his hand poised to grasp and turn the knob. He was mentally trying to prepare himself for how Summer would react. He'd observed her and her behavioral habits like a hobby since he was ten and most of the time he still had a hell of a time predicting her next move.

There was a very real chance that she would be really pissed at him, and might take advantage of the fact that she didn't have to fly all the way to New York to kick his ass tonight. But then, there was also the possibility he would be very well rewarded for his efforts, and that possibility was enough to get him to turn the knob.

And once the door opened enough for Seth to glimpse a view of Summer his breath caught in his chest for a whole other reason than nerves. She was a sight of perfection, lying on her back with her head pressed against the pillows, her white wifebeater riding up just enough to expose a few inches of the smooth skin of her stomach, and her hand poised just above the waistband of _his_ boxer shorts, her fingertips just peeking under the material, a sight that was enough to make him seriously consider he was having hear palpitations.

Seeing her again made him realize even more how much he had missed her. Just staring at her in the quiet darkness had his stomach turning at the idea of having to spend even one more night away from her.

Summer was still so caught up in all of the feelings that were bombarding her mind and senses that she didn't hear the door click open or see it swing aside to reveal the cause of all of her overactive emotions.

Seth watched, still hidden in the shadow of the doorway, as she turned her head slightly to check the phone in her hand, making sure she hadn't missed any possible attempts of his to reconnect in the last four minutes. She sighed in disappointment, and let out a barely audible whimper of, "Cohen…" that made his heart tighten and stomach twist once again with guilt.

Finally, after holding off on the confrontation for as long as he could stand it, he spoke in a low whisper that Summer wasn't even sure she was hearing. "You know, any guy that could stand to leave you alone for even a day doesn't deserve you."

Her eyes shot open at his words and all of the attempts at slowing her breathing and calming her heart rate went out the window as her eyes caught sight of her Cohen standing in the doorway, looking quite tired and exhausted, but there none-the-less.

She stayed completely unmoving, unable to believe her eyes, as Seth slowly started to make his way towards her, closing the bedroom door with a soft click behind him.

She watched wide-eyed as he stopped at the foot of the bed, the pressure of him leaning against it affirming that he wasn't just a very cruel trick her mind was playing on her. And he wasn't a dream either, she tried to convince herself. Nobody bothers with the technical things like a bed shifting in their dreams. Besides, if it were a dream he would have made his entrance hours ago and they would already be onto everything they had been clandestinely discussing on the phone; they'd certainly be past all this erotic tension that was making it hard for Summer to breathe.

And as he tentatively let his hands move to grasp her hips and stroke the small portion of the exposed skin of her stomach with his thumbs, a multitude of shivers ran all through her body.

_Nope, definitely not a dream_, she told herself as her body immediately started to react to his touch. She was heating up, her ability to breathe had all but disappeared, and her mind was so clouded she couldn't force a single word through her slightly open lips.

But when Seth wordlessly let his lips fall to the bare skin his hands had just been caressing, bathing her in kisses and mumbling about how much he loved her she managed to let a shaky breath of relief escape from her mouth along with a husky, barely audible plea of, "God… please don't let this be a dream…"

Her body was like play-dough in his hands, arching her back at the slightest pressure his fingertips applied to raise her stomach up to meet his lips.

Seth let himself focus on that for awhile, content to have his inch-by-inch worship of her body start at her perfect stomach, tensing in and out as his lips slid across the sensitive area.

Summer was still in such a state of shock that her body had yet to reacquire the ability to move of its own accord. Her hands were itching to run through his hair, down his back, and remove every item of clothing he had on so that they could delight in the feel of his heated skin under them and once and for all affirm to her that he was really there, but she couldn't even manage to lift them from their resting place at her sides. All of her energy was being used to focus on his warm, wet lips currently sliding across her recently neglected skin.

But as his pursuits became more ambitious and he allowed his hands to slide slowly down her sides to hook his fingers into either side of her boxer shorts, her hands found the energy to grasp onto and clench the bedspread beneath her in an attempt to keep the moan building in her chest from escaping.

He slowly slid the boxers down, being pleasantly reminded of the fact that she had revealed she was going commando in their earlier phone conversation. He didn't even try to resist the temptation to brush his lips across the skin that was much too intimate for the boxers to have revealed to him earlier.

And with that move Summer couldn't even consider fighting the fresh moan that rose from her as she squirmed under his lips and touch.

She shivered as his fingertips slid the garment down her legs, then made their way back up, caressing the smooth skin of her inner thigh while his lips continued to kiss across the newly revealed skin, so close to the area where all her desire was flowing to that she had to bite her lip to keep her already relentless moaning from growing any louder.

Seth didn't tease her for long. He couldn't. Imagining it in the car and the entire plane ride home had been enough foreplay for him. It didn't matter if Summer wasn't actually present for it. Any more anticipation and wanting on his part would have driven him over the edge. And judging by her writhing and moaning, Summer wasn't in the mood for it anymore than he was.

So Seth happily and willingly fell to their desires quickly and gave them both what they wanted.

His fingertips touched the tender skin softly at first, and they both exhaled shakily at the relief it brought them. Summer's mind went hazy as he started soft ministrations up and down the hot skin, only able to focus on him and what he was doing to her.

With each shallow stroke Seth became a little bolder and the pressure of his fingers increased a little more until they were steadily brushing her most sensitive area over and over again causing her entire body to quiver from the pent up tension.

Summer quickly felt herself approaching her climax and was all too eager to fall over the edge. Seth's motions were amazing, and a large part of her wouldn't have minded if he stayed down there forever, but she also knew that as soon as the initial pressure that had been building in her was released maybe some of the ability to function would return to her and she would be able to fully delight in his return. As it was now, all she could bring herself to do was writhe and shake and thrust into his rhythmic motions, moaning and whimpering her ability to do anything else into oblivion.

Seth's own mind was reeling from all the new sensations confronting him. His lips never strayed from the skin just above the spot where his fingers were driving her crazy. His fingers sent pleasure shocks up to his brain as they delighted in the hot, soft skin surrounding them. His entire body reacted to the intimate smell of her mixing with the scent of the shower gel she had used earlier that night and the clean, crisp smell of their room that immediately registered home in his mind.

The effects of all of these forces were pooling together to create an unbearable desire inside him, which was manifesting itself through the rather pronounced bulge pressing through his pants against Summer's leg.

And as much as her erratic panting and moaning and non-stop squirming were suggesting she couldn't take it anymore and was about to snap, Seth was a hundred percent sure he had her beat.

Summer's eyes shot open wide when she suddenly felt Seth's mouth slide a few inches south and join his fingers. The change happened all too quickly for her to react before she felt his tongue take over the previous path of his fingers as they moved down to begin a gentle working of her center.

But in his haste to take what he wanted, Seth hadn't even thought about what Summer knew for near fact: that was that she wouldn't be able to handle anything else; she wouldn't be responsible for what came out of her mouth or how loud it was if anymore sensations found her in that moment; she wouldn't be able to control whatever her body did in response to even more attention from him.

So because she couldn't find the words to express these concerns, he certainly gave no mind to them as he allowed himself to indulge in her, heady with delight and relief as he enjoyed the reality of what he had been anticipating since he'd left New York.

And, fortunately, Summer's reaction was relatively mellow, at least considering what she had feared she was capable of. Her body simply became more determined to find its release, thrusting up to meet him of its own accord.

It only took a few seconds after that for her head to slam back against the pillows in defeat as she let the pleasure coursing through her claim victory over her entire body with a husky utterance of, "Fuck, this better not be a dream…"

Seth continued his work through her climax, drawing it out for as long as possible until he felt her hands grabbing at the back of his head and shoulders, urging him upward. He moved his head to see her eyes still glazed over but beckoning him up to her, a silent request with which he gladly complied.

He crawled swiftly up her body as her hands grasped at his coat to pull him to her even quicker. In just a fraction of a second she was crushing her lips to his, thrusting her tongue against his as the full realization that he was really there finally settled into her brain through her wanton desires and clouded perceptions.

She held onto either side of his heavy coat, no doubt what he had used to shield himself from the cold New York weather, and used it to pull him closer, pressing him against her so tightly that not a centimeter of space was left between them. Her mouth claimed his over and over again, her brain ignoring the fact that she would need to breathe soon if she wanted to continue and not pass out, though she was convinced she may pass out anyway purely from the pleasure he was continually causing to course through her.

She finally released the hold her lips had on his and came up for air, taking the opportunity to push at his coast and slide it over his shoulders. He finished the task by sliding it the rest of the way off his arms and throwing it to the side, out of their way.

And as Summer finally took the time to take in the sight of him she felt like she should say something. She _wanted_ to say something that would express the pure elation she was deriving just from being able to look at him, but, while her ability to touch and kiss him had returned quite rapidly after he'd finished his business down there, her aptitude for forming coherent sounds that turned into words was still lost. So she settled for using her non-word-forming tongue to thrust against his again, and those incoherent sounds to moan into his mouth, letting him know how she felt even if she couldn't articulate it at the moment.

Summer let her hands slide against the soft cotton of the dress shirt covering his chest as her mouth continued to ravish his. But she became restless underneath him and, wanting more control she applied a slight pressure against his chest that urged him onto his back, allowing her to roll on top of him and straddle his waist. And as she kept her lips pressed tightly to his she couldn't keep her body from grinding against him, urged on by the feel of him pressing against her most intimate area, already sensitive and over-stimulated from his earlier attention.

And while this action just forced another moan from her preoccupied and minimally functioning mouth, Seth could find his words and he pulled away just enough to groan, "Oh, god… Summer…" against her lips before allowing her tongue to slip back into his mouth and continue its mission to drive him insane.

This proclamation of Seth's apparently reawakened her ability to speak, because a second later her tongue was back in her own mouth and her lips were murmuring against his, "You are such a jerk, Cohen."

It wasn't exactly the best way to express her pure elation at having him beneath her, but any more words would have required her to pull her lips away from his for longer, which was something she was just not willing to do.

He was however, because just as she was about to reemerge herself into his kiss, he pulled away even more, all kissing motion stopped, but his lips still pressed slightly against hers. He smiled as well as he could with her lips there and mumbled an agreeable, "Yeah-"

But she lost her patience before he could finish and pressed her lips hard against his for a brief kiss before relenting and leaving him to complete his thought.

"But I'm a good jerk," he finished as he once again kissed her.

Summer's hands slid from his shoulders to his top buttons, working frantically to get them undone. Her eagerness, however, only made it harder for her to steady her fingers enough to actually get the work done and she pulled away in frustration, glaring at the insubordinate button. She bit her lip in concentration as she pulled at it frantically and became more aggravated by the second.

Seth took advantage of the pause to take in the sight of her up close again. On one side her dark hair was pushed behind her shoulder while on the other it hung at the side of her face, a hand coming up every once in awhile to push it back and out of her way.

She momentarily released her teeth's hold on her bottom lip to grunt in frustration, tugging extra hard to pull the small hole over the impossibly large button. But it wouldn't come loose, despite her effort, and with a final tug Seth heard a short tearing sound and witnessed her hand fly slightly back at the sudden lack of resistance. She sighed harshly as she looked at the single button in her hand before dropping it to the bed and sitting back completely on his lap in defeat.

He smiled at the adorable display and leaned up so that he was sitting face to face with her, their chests pressed together and breathing in and out in perfect rhythm. He pushed the stubborn piece of hair that had once again fallen against her face behind her ear and let his hand linger. His palm cupped her cheek as he brought his lips to the opposite side and pressed them against her neck, sliding them from her pulse point to just below her ear, pausing periodically to let his tongue splay out and brush across the sensitive skin.

Summer sighed and relaxed into him, all frustration melting away as she simultaneously stretched her neck out to accommodate his lips and pressed her face against his hand, turning her neck slightly to press a kiss into his palm.

He pulled back slightly after a few moments to once again stare at the features he had missed so much. He smiled softly, letting his thumb caress her cheek as a slight smile spread across her lips. He eventually allowed himself to look away and glance down at his ripped buttonhole and the loose strings that had once attached the button to his shirt. He let out a breath that sounded halfway between a laugh and a sigh as he surveyed the damage. He looked back at Summer, now with a bigger, more pronounced smile gracing his lips to show his amusement.

She smiled and bit her lip slightly before scrunching her nose and offering a simple, "Sorry."

Seth couldn't resist then, leaning forward and pressing his lips to hers in a much gentler kiss than what they had been sharing earlier. He smiled when he finally pulled away, reveling at simply being in the same room with her once again.

He looked down at his torn shirt once more before looking back up at her with a mischievous smile. "The shirt's already ruined," he stated casually with a shrug and sheepish, lopsided smile, but there was a hint of suggestion in it.

Summer stared back at him blankly for a moment then smiled thoughtfully. "Yeah?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah," Seth confirmed with a smile and a nod.

Her smile remained as she leaned in to once again meet his lips in a sweet kiss but it quickly escalated to something more on par with what they had been sharing earlier in the night.

Her chest pressing against his was enough to get him to lean back, letting her urge him into the bed again. Her hands slid from around his back to once again run over his cloth covered chest, though they quickly grew bored with the smooth cotton and made their way back to his buttons, the top one no longer a problem. She let her fingers lace through the holes between the buttons and gripped either side of the shirt.

Seth felt a swift tug and then there was a much more pronounced tearing sound as Summer pulled his shirt apart, buttons scattering around them and making clattering sounds as they landed on the room's hardwood floors.

She didn't think twice about the action before she was pushing the ruined shirt off his shoulders and urging him up so she could slide it off his arms.

He followed her lips with his own, causing him to lean up and give her the space she needed to slide the shirt completely off. Her hands immediately slid back down to the hem of his undershirt and she pulled it up as high as she could until she finally forced Seth's lips to break from hers so she could pull it over his head.

Seth took the time to mumble, "That was so hot," against her lips before he went back to kissing her. He let one hand slide up to run his fingers through her silky waves while the other worked its way under the back of the flimsy wifebeater so it could reacquaint itself with the bare skin of her back.

Summer moaned in protest as the contact between their lips was once again broken so he could slip the garment that was hindering his hands' further progress over her head. And instead of returning his lips to hers he let them fall to her bare chest, raining wet kisses down from her chin into the valley between her newly revealed breasts.

She took her bottom lip between her teeth as she threaded her fingers through his slightly unruly hair and focused on the long-missed feeling of his lips on her skin. All at once different urges were screaming at her. A big part of her was content to simply stay there and let Seth continue with whatever he was working at, but other parts were pushing her to get on with it and take exactly what she wanted from him and as fast as possible. However that presented a whole new problem because at that moment she could think of a million and one things she wanted from him, starting with running her hands, followed by her lips, over every inch of his heated skin, and then watching him come undone as she had her way with him just as he had done to her. But her mind refused to give her body any clear directions other than to continue to subject herself to Seth's mind-numbing attention, so she did the next best thing and let him take control.

And Seth seemed to have no problem with that. His hands were running over every inch of bare skin that they could get to, from her smooth thighs gripped tightly around his waist to the silky canvas of skin running from her perfect bottom to her temptingly smooth and flexing shoulder blades.

"God… Seth…" she moaned as he brought his lips up to bathe her shoulder in kisses while she buried her head in the crook of his neck, inhaling his sent deeply, as if trying to absorb it into her entire being.

"You can never leave again…" she murmured into the skin there as she wrapped her arms even tighter around him, holding him as closely and tightly to her as physics would allow.

"Mm, mm," he agreed, shaking his head from side to side as he pulled away from her shoulder only to land his lips on her other shoulder in the matter of a second.

Summer adjusted her head accordingly to give his shiver-inducing lips access to anywhere they wanted over the next several moments, occupying her hands by running them up and down his back, delighting in the feel of his bare skin under her fingertips.

But she was becoming restless, especially as she could feel him pressing so firmly against her own desire. She relented the assault on Seth's poor back - her fingernails had been scraping across it for the last several minutes - and moved her hands to his front, taking a good amount of time just to run her hands over and relish in the feel of his bare chest.

And then it was his turn to moan as her hands moved south and brushed over his erection while they worked at his belt. And thank heaven she didn't have as hard a time getting that undone as his shirt because he didn't think he could have survived the agony. He let a groan of gratitude escape his mouth and brush across Summer's neck as she finally undid the button and zipper, releasing some of the pressure that had been tormenting him since before he even walked in the front door.

She wasted no time in getting him completely unclothed, grasping at both his pants and boxers and bringing them down his legs all in one pull, her lips grazing the new skin as it was revealed, emitting a throaty moan from Seth. She jerked his shoes off as quickly as possible, hoping with the little bit of reason left in her that it hadn't hurt him. But he didn't seem to mind as she finished sliding the remaining barriers keeping them from each other off his legs and onto the floor.

He inwardly sighed in relief as his last constraint was removed and nothing else remained between him and Summer. He watched in slow motion as she looked back up from where she dropped his pants on the ground and stared at him, unblinking and expectant.

And then all at once time sped up and he was crashing his lips into hers, pulling her against him and rolling her over so that he was hovering above her. They stayed like that, in that comfortable realm of anticipation, for awhile, pressing kiss after kiss against each others' lips. Their hands stayed chaste, Summer's gripping either side of his face while he had one wrapped around her back, holding her to him, and the other buried in her hair.

It was several moments later before she felt him grind gently against her, telling her as patiently as he could that he couldn't wait any longer.

And Summer was all too willing to comply, taking a deep breath, to prepare for the fast approaching time when breathing would be the last necessity on her mind. She let her legs fall open to him at the light urging of his hand on her thigh, which allowed him to rest completely between them.

After a few moments he pushed into her softly but swiftly, sure he would be unable to take the agonizing pleasure of going slow. He moaned once he was completely in, allowing his body to relish in the feel of her completely surrounding him. Her legs wrapped tightly around his waist just as her arms encircled his neck and she took another deep breath in an attempt to calm her body as it reacted so strongly to being with him again.

Seth moved slightly and Summer let out something between a whimper and a gasp, but whatever it was it made him throb even more inside her, eager to hear more.

He moved again, and this time he started a steady pace, causing his head to pound with the pleasure of every stroke. And he continued, letting himself fall quickly into a rhythmic thrusting that had both of their heads spinning.

She felt shiver after shiver start to run down her spine as Seth let his lips fall to her neck, his tongue snaking out and making her skin tingle. And in the deep recesses of her mind- the part that had no idea about the reaction happening on the outside of her body- she felt bad because she could feel her nails once again digging into his back, but in the moment she needed some form of release for all the tension building inside of her, and letting out the scream that was materializing in her lungs was just not an option. So she continued to claw at his back, content knowing that he at least probably couldn't feel any of the pain at the moment.

Seth was faintly aware of Summer's nails reeking havoc on his back though, but in the moment it only added to the pleasure coursing through him. He saw her bite her lip a little harder and felt her dig her nails in a little deeper with each thrust, which let him know that she was experiencing the same kind of overwhelming pleasure as him at the moment.

He brought his lips back down to her skin and let the valley between her breasts muffle the exceptionally loud groan that escaped him as all the sensations started to overwhelm him. Summer knew from the groan that he wouldn't be lasting much longer, a thought that only caused her to plummet towards her own end more rapidly.

Her body was going crazy, thrusting against his hips at a feverish pace, desperate to bring a finale to the mind-numbing build up.

And when Seth began to suffer the same loss of reality as her, thrusting against her with abandon, both of them seeking the same release, she was greeted with a spectacular finish, her back arching off the bed of its own accord in an attempt to keep him fully pressed against her as her orgasm forced itself through every inch of her being.

At the feel of her convulsing around him Seth completely lost his will to hold out, letting himself lose control and thrust into her until he too fell over the edge, releasing a guttural moan as his head fell against her shoulder in pure exhaustion and contentedness.

Summer still lay panting under him minutes after they finished, her arms wrapped tightly around his back and her face pressed into the side of his neck, inhaling the scent of him deeply with each breath. It was only after she had sufficient amount of time for her body to calm itself down and for her mind to stabilize that she managed to let the first noise that could be construed as having any sort of significant meaning escape her mouth.

Seth heard and felt a satisfied sigh waft across his skin as he felt the first sign of movement in Summer since they'd finished. She squirmed slightly underneath him, and Seth took it as a sign that his weight was becoming too much for her, but when he went to move off of her she moaned in protest and tightened her grip around his back.

"Okay…" he murmured as he let his head fall back to her shoulder, only this time not to lay in idleness. His lips brushed across her neck, his tongue peeking out every once in awhile to lap at the salt-tinged skin, sending tingles running through her body.

Summer sighed as she relaxed into the bed and enjoyed the feel of his lips massaging across her skin. A contented smile spread across her face as he moved his mouth over her ear to murmur a soft, "I missed you."

"Mm," she agreed as she used a hand to urge his head up so she could look into his face. Her smile spread even wider as she finally made contact with his sleepy eyes. "I missed you, too."

He offered her a short, lopsided grin that made her heart melt before leaning down to plant a kiss on her nose. "And I love you," he whispered as he pulled back, hovering just over her face.

"Love you, too," she murmured back as she brought her lips up to meet his in a sweet kiss.

After a moment she let a light laugh out against his lips as she pulled back slightly and smiled. "Even if you did totally lie to me on the phone…" she roused, the statement coming out muffled against his mouth.

And as she moved to reattach her lips firmly to his it was Seth who pulled back, rolling completely off of her and onto his side so he was propping himself up on his elbow and hovering over her.

"Now hold on a sec," he started as he brought his free hand up to stroke her bare side. "Most of what I told you was true; I just failed to specify the actual times that they happened. Besides…" he added with a mischievous smirk, running his hand over the ticklish spot on her ribs and causing her to squirm. "Tell me that wasn't worth it."

"No, it was definitely worth it," Summer conceded with a satisfied smile. "But it was the seeing you tonight that made it worth it," she added, "not you making me think you were still in New York and lost your cell connection."

"Come on…" he whispered, burying his face in her neck and letting his hot breath waft over her skin as he continued. "You have to admit that was one of the best surprises I've ever given you. And it's not that I wanted to lie… I just wanted to surprise you…" he finished, turning the full attention of his lips over to her neck.

"Mm," Summer forgave him quickly, not that she was ever anywhere close to actually being angry at him. "So what really happened?" she asked after a few moments, scratching at the back of his neck to urge him out of the warm haven that he had been thoroughly enjoying burrowing himself into.

He pulled back with a sigh, allowing his weight to fall back onto his elbow. "What really happened…?" he repeated for effect. "Well," he started, "Tony really did trick me into going to that meeting, and we really do have a tentative agreement to move forward-"

"And the strip club?" she raised an eyebrow.

"And…" Seth hesitated, though there was really no point. "That really happened, too. I mean, I wasn't purposely trying to piss you off. I only lied about the things that would blow my cover."

She smiled, running a finger down his chest. "Like there being no flights out of JFK tonight?"

"Right," he smirked. "Everything up until I went to the airport was true, it all just happened a little earlier in the night than I lead you to believe."

"But JFK did have open flights available when you called?"

"No, it didn't…" he amended as he lost the fight to keep his hands to himself and allowed his free one to once again fall to her skin where it started caressing soft patterns over her thigh. "I still ended up having to wait in the airport for like an hour, but they eventually had a spot open up… of course it was on a packed plane and the seat was in between a mother with her screaming baby and an old man with some personal hygiene problems, but… it got me home," he added with a smile.

Seth's heart beat a little faster as a smile spread across Summer's face at his last words; it was the smile that only made appearances on the most special of occasions, when her happiness was completely and totally sincere. It was the smile she had when Noah was born, and on their wedding day.

"What about the cab driver you were talking to? And the car horn that nearly blasted my ear off?" she added as more things that hadn't quite made since at the time came to her mind.

"Okay, yeah," he admitted, "I lied about those, too. The cab driver was actually the parking attendant at the airport. I was paying him to get my car out of the lot so I could get home to _you_," he smiled, accenting his "you" with a soft squeeze to the spot on Summer's thigh where he knew she was ticklish.

She squirmed and giggled as she swatted the hand away. "And the horn?"

"Yeah, I, uh, definitely cut a big rig off while I was trying to cross three lanes to get to the exit," Seth smirked sheepishly. "Damn cell phones," he added, tongue-in-cheek. "No wonder we're not supposed to talk on them and drive at the same time."

"And speaking of cell phones…" Summer questioned with a pointed jab to his chest. "The static, and the phones being disconnected… that was definitely a lie."

"Yeah," he admitted. "But I only did it for effect. You would have heard me as I got closer if I had stayed on the phone with you," he tried to explain. He knew that little stunt certainly hadn't made her happy at the time. He remembered the threat he heard her muttering through the door.

"You know, I was ready to fly to New York tonight to kick your ass for doing that," she revealed as she landed a playful slap to his chest.

He caught her wrist in his hand before she could pull it away and brought it up to his mouth to place a gentle kiss on her fingers. "I know, I could hear your threat through the door before I came in," he mumbled against her fingers. "It wasn't exactly the best incentive to come in."

"It was bad enough you got me to agree to phone sex, Cohen," she continued, but her attention was more focused on Seth's lips and what they were doing to her fingers than what they had been talking about. "But then you hung up on me…"

"I'm sorry," he breathed against her fingers, making her shiver. "But I made up for it, right?" he asked with a smug grin playing at the corners of his mouth as he pulled away slightly.

And she couldn't help the smile that spread across her mouth and the red tint that spread through her cheeks at his comment. With the entrance he made…? Yeah, he definitely made up for it.

"Yeah…" she finally conceded out loud, though the satisfied smirk and the blush gracing her features had already given her thoughts away to him.

"Yeah…" he whispered with an agreeable smile, letting her know he had enjoyed it just as much as she had.

Summer yawned then, finally letting the day catch up to her. It was nearing two in the morning and the alarm would be going off in four and a half hours to wake them. She groaned inwardly just at the thought of having to be up and out of bed again in less than five hours.

Seth dropped the arm that had been supporting him and allowed himself to fall on his side so that he was still facing her. He reached out an arm to take hold of her waist and pull her against him so that their chests were pressed together and her head was resting just below his chin.

"You're tired," he stated, her telltale yawn and drooping eyes leaving no room for questions about the fact.

But she mumbled her agreement anyway as she burrowed herself into his chest and threaded one leg between his, content to finally be able to spend the night beside him again.

Within moments she was asleep, using Seth's arm as a pillow and grasping him tightly to her even in her slumber.

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Thanks for reading and please review. Chapter 5 should be up relatively soon.


	5. Chapter 5

So here's chapter 5. I'm figuring two more chapters'll probably round it out.

Warning for some more suggestive content, but if last chapter didn't bother you then this definitely won't. It's just a little.

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Against all odds, Summer actually did wake up the next morning before the beeping of the alarm clock ever rang through the room. And the first thing she noticed before she even opened her eyes was a very naked chest pressed against her equally naked back.

She let a slow smile spread across her lips as she let the events of just a few hours earlier fill her mind. Seth was home. And the dim aching she could feel throbbing throughout her whole body definitely confirmed that it hadn't been a dream.

She stretched out against his chest, bringing her sore muscles some relief. She felt Seth stir behind her, but the action apparently hadn't woken him because all he did was grunt and subconsciously let the arm resting over her stomach tighten its grip a little and pull her closer against him.

Summer sighed as his hot breath brushed across her neck, making her shiver. She let her own hand slide over the one resting on her stomach and laced their fingers together, contented by the simple contact for the moment.

She didn't know what she was going to do in the coming months if this book-to-movie deal actually came to be. He would probably have to spend more time away than ever, and Summer had had a hard enough time swallowing two weeks.

Maybe Seth could convince them to come to California for their meetings, or creative consultations, or whatever they were going to be. They were the ones who wanted his book, after all. They should have to make the effort to fly cross country and leave their homes for weeks at a time, Summer decided bitterly. Besides, based on their eagerness to forget about their wives last night, they should be happy to take advantage of the opportunity to be 3000 miles away from them with no chance of getting caught.

At that thought Summer pressed herself further into Seth's embrace, if only to assure herself that it was real and he really had flown all the way home the night before just to be with her instead of at some tacky strip club.

And with Summer's movement came some attention to an area that had Seth groaning and the final traces of sleep being washed from his brain as his eyes opened slowly. His mind was still in New York mode, and in New York mode there should be nothing brushing down there except the sheets. But when his eyes caught sight of the head of messy, brown hair in front of him he was pleasantly reminded of the events of the night before.

He pulled her tighter against him and buried his face in her neck, inhaling deeply. "You're here…" he murmured against her skin with a sleepy smile, as if trying to convince himself.

"You're up?" Summer asked, turning around in his arms to face him. "I thought you were still asleep," she admitted, rubbing a hand over his chest in a show of affection that had become so second nature to them they hardly ever realized when they were doing them anymore.

"It's hard to stay asleep when I've got you pressing yourself against me like that," Seth spoke softly as his hand came up to lightly stroke over her shoulder and upper arm in its own show of affection.

"Sorry…" Summer smiled apologetically. "You're more comfortable than the pillows," she offered in explanation.

"No, please…" Seth murmured into her hair, his voice still husky with sleep. "Press away. I'd rather be awake with you than asleep dreaming about you anytime."

Summer could feel every inch of her being tingle at his words as she let her forehead fall against his. "You realize you're never allowed to leave again, right," she stated matter-of-factly, her hand that had been absentmindedly running over his chest moving to grasp his left hand and absentmindedly fiddle with the platinum wedding band placed on the ring finger.

"Mm, gladly," Seth smiled. "But you realize I'm not the only one who leaves. There's been plenty of out-of-state conferences and business trips for you, too."

"Yeah…" Summer agreed, pouting her bottom lip. "But not for two weeks…"

"Well, how 'bout I never let Tony be in charge of the travel plans again?"

"Yeah," Summer stated, narrowing her eyes at the mention of Tony. "He knows if he ever comes over here again he's in danger of losing some appendages, right?"

Seth smiled his amusement. "Yes. I let him know several times last week that you weren't happy with him."

"And Noah…"

"What," Seth shook his head, suddenly confused about what they were talking about.

"_Noah_," Summer repeated. "Your son. He's not happy with him, either. He really missed you. I'm just not up to par when it comes to Playstation anymore. He missed his buddy."

"Well I really missed him, too," Seth smiled, pressing his forehead against hers for a moment before letting his lips fall against hers.

"I'll make it up to him with a good long round of Playstationing once he wakes up," he said as he pulled away.

"Not until after his 8 AM soccer practice," Summer reminded him, a little sorry to be the one to deflate his plans.

"Well then I'll just take him to that," Seth decided. "I'll take him out for breakfast afterwards or something, and then we can catch up on the Playstation."

"Are you sure?" she asked, brushing her finger tips over his shoulder. "You're not too tired from the flight?"

"No," Seth shook his head affirmatively. "Besides, I can catch up on my sleep tonight," he stated matter-of-factly with a smirk, eyeing Summer discreetly for a reaction.

"Oh-no! I don't think so," Summer interjected immediately. "You won't be getting much sleep in here tonight. You have a lot of time to make up for."

"Good," Seth smiled widely as he wrapped his arms completely around her and rolled onto his back, dragging her so she landed on top of him. "I was hoping you'd say that."

Summer brought her lips down on his then, letting them do some serious work over his to make up for lost time. It was sensual and slow, not needy, as Seth repeatedly let his lips massage over hers, his tongue barely peeking out to graze hers every few seconds.

"Mmm," he finally pulled away after about a minute of the slow making out. "What time do I need to get up to take Noah?" he asked, brushing his lips against hers once more.

"Noah needs to be up by seven to get him to the field by eight, which means- "Mmm…" she was cut off by his lips moving in to kiss her once again. When he relented slightly she continued, "_Which means_…you need to be up and in the shower at six thirty."

Seth raised an eyebrow as he let his two hands slide down her sides and over her hips until they were stroking up and down her thighs. He brought his lips up to slide over her neck, sucking and nibbling the sensitive there as he mumbled, "And what time is it now?"

Summer turned her head to look at the bedside clock while he just took the lost contact with her neck as an opportunity to run his lips over her chest and collar bone.

She moaned as his lips found their new home and she had to press a hand to the bed next to him to steady herself as she hovered above him. Her other hand moved to his head, threading her fingers through his hair and holding his head to her as she squinted, trying to read the glowing red numbers.

"Ah!" she gasped as his lips moved lower and he took a peak into his mouth, his tongue snaking out to cause even more sensations to riot across her body. And in that second Summer had to give up her efforts of reading the clock in favor of dropping her face into the top of his head and moaning into his hair.

After a moment Seth pulled away slightly and mumbled, "Sum… the time?" against the rhythmic beating of her heart that he could feel against his lips.

"Right," she breathed, reluctantly turning her face from him and back towards the clock. "Uh…?" she squinted." It's 6:22… which means- oh!" she gasped as his lips found their target once again. "God…" she murmured more to herself than for his benefit. "Which means…" she tried to continue as both of her hands tangled in his hair and she let her chin fall to the top of his head. "I have approximately eight minutes to have my way with you."

"I can do a lot in eight minutes," he murmured against her chest as he rolled her under him and continued his work.

"Yeah…" she agreed, reluctantly putting pressure on the back of his head to stop him. "But that would be you having your way with me, not the other way around."

"What's wrong with that?" Seth asked, wide-eyed and confused as he looked up at her.

"Nothing," she agreed innocently as the hand she had previously been holding to his chest to keep him back began a slow decent down his abdomen. "It's just not exactly what I had in mind."

His eyes widened as her hand brushed against him. "And by that you mean-" he gasped as she took a firm hold of him. "Oh, god…" he moaned, letting his head fall to her shoulder as he breathed out her name.

Summer kissed a path down his neck as she pressed against his chest with her free hand to roll him over and give herself more room.

Her hand continued its work on him as her lips began trailing across his chest. After thoroughly exploring that her lips then began a slow decent downward that had Seth trembling and gasping with anticipation.

His mouth fell open in pleasure and he exhaled shakily as she reached her target and he fought the urge to bury his fingers in her hair. She didn't like that, mostly because sometimes he got carried away and, as Summer put it, "she was too young to go bald." And the last thing Seth wanted to do at that moment was piss Summer off, so he resisted. Instead he let his fingers grip the bed sheets beneath him so tightly that his knuckles turned a ghostly shade of white and he could feel his nails digging into his palms through the soft material.

And ten minutes later he was still gasping, trying to catch his breath as she returned to raining light kisses across his chest and abdomen. Finally she paused to rest her chin on his stomach and smile apologetically up at him. "Sorry, Cohen, but it's past six thirty. You've got to get in the shower if you want to get Noah up on time."

"Uh…" he moaned in protest, shivering as she let her fingers run along his side and down past his hip. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her completely up to his level, capturing her lips in a heated kiss.

She rewarded him with a moan as he pulled away, but she still pressed against his chest to push herself into a sitting position astride his lap. "Sorry, Cohen. You still have to get up."

"Uh…" he groaned again as he brought himself up into a sitting position to join her. He wrapped both arms around her and slid a hand up her bare back and into her hair as he pressed his face against her neck. "Fine," he mumbled. "But you have to come with me."

"Uh, fine, Cohen!" she agreed exasperatedly but she was smiling. "You're such a baby," she accused as she swung her leg over his and sat at his side to allow him to get up.

He heaved himself out of bed with a grunt and shivered as the cold air hit his bare legs, previously protected by the cover of the blankets. "Don't lie…" he smiled as he reached a hand down to help her up. "You like it."

She didn't say anything, instead letting her actions speak for her as she took his hand and let him pull her up next to him where she wrapped her arms around him and let him usher her into the bathroom.

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"Seriously, Cohen!" Summer shrieked as Seth once again pressed her up against the wall of the shower, burying his face in her neck and gripping her sides. "It's already five past seven. Go wake your son!"

"Mm, mm," Seth shook his head against her, sliding his nose back and forth across the slick skin of her shoulder. "It's, like, little league," he argued when he finally looked up. "He can skip one practice."

"And what are you going to tell him when he wakes up an hour from now wondering why you didn't take him to practice?" she asked pointedly. "'Sorry kid, but I wanted to screw your mom about fifty more times… You'll understand when you're older…'" she imitated.

"Yep," Seth answered, smiling cheekily. "That's pretty much what I was planning."

"Go," Summer ordered, pushing him away from her and out of the shower.

"Going," he huffed as he swiped a towel off the shelf and began ridding himself of the little beads of water all over him that were starting to make him shiver. "I give it ten minutes…" he mumbled loudly enough for her to hear. "Ten minutes and you're gonna be wanting me back."

"Move, Cohen!" she called as she finished rinsing herself off and watched him retreat from the bathroom.

She emerged from the bedroom five minutes later to hear an ecstatic shout of, "Daddy!", and when she peaked into Noah's room she found her six-year-old son standing on his bed, arms wrapped tightly around Seth's neck.

"Mommy said you weren't coming home until Sunday," he bounced excitedly on the bed.

"Well, he surprised both of us," Summer smiled as she fully entered the room and made her presence known. She moved to the bed and wrapped her arms around Noah, using the hug to bring him down off bed and set him on the floor between her and Seth. "Uhh," she groaned as she pulled away. "You're getting to big to do that."

She smiled down at him as she ran her fingers through his tousled curls, even messier due to the last nine hours of sleep.

"Daddy!?" Noah ignored Summer and turned to Seth, tugging on the bottom of his shirt. "Daddy, can we play Playstation later after practice?"

"Yeah," Seth grinned as he bent down and placed a kiss on the top of his son's head. "But right now do you think you can get dressed? Mommy's already kind of mad at me for getting you up too late," he whispered next to his ear, though he knew Summer could hear.

He smirked up at her innocently when she glared.

"Yeah," Noah answered, eager to please. "I promise, I'll get ready really fast," he yelled as he ran out the door and toward the bathroom to brush his teeth.

"Do not use your son to get out of being in trouble," Summer said sternly as she crossed her arms, though she was moving slowly towards him with a slight smile playing at her lips. "It's not his fault you couldn't get your ass out of bed," she finished with a single jab to his chest.

Seth took hold of her hand before she could retract it and brought it to his lips, placing a lingering kiss on it. "Well it's not my fault, either. Keeping me up until two to fulfill your own little desires and then waking me up four hours later just to do it again."

"Oh, no! Uh, uh… you better reevaluate whose fantasy we were fulfilling last night, Cohen," Summer stated, an eyebrow raising expectantly. "You initiated that one all on your own."

"It's okay…" he whispered, smirking, as he brought his lips down on hers. "It's not like I minded. I mean, it was hot. You just wore me out, is all…" he let the last part fade out in a breath against her lips as he cut off whatever zinger she was about to retort with.

He kissed her thoroughly, letting his tongue find its way into her mouth and thrust against hers, not at all trying to hide the neediness in his actions. Two weeks away and he could barely stand to keep his lips off of her for more than five minutes.

"Hey, dad!" Seth heard Noah call a few moments later, followed by the sound of his little feet rushing back towards the room.

He ripped his lips away from Summer's and took a giant step back, adequately distancing him and her.

He was way too tired to be having _that_ conversation.

And the only way he knew to avoid it was to avoid Noah seeing anything that could possibly bring up the questions.

Besides, he did it just as much for Noah's benefit as for his own. He remembered having that conversation with his own dad after walking in on his parents in a more-than-friendly embrace, and he wasn't about to put his own son through the same horrifying experience of the "birds and the bees" talk at such a young age.

Hence him and Summer currently standing three feet apart and her looking thoroughly pissed and confused at being pushed away; until Noah came bounding into the room, that is.

'Uh, yeah?" Seth answered, still trying to gain his composure.

"Can we play the one with the ninjas?"

"Huh…?" Seth responded, his mind still slightly clouded from the kiss. Why was Noah talking about ninjas?

"Playstation," the boy answered, eyes wide and expectant. "The game with the ninjas…?"

"Oh," Seth smiled as realization donned on his face. "Yeah, sure we can play it."

Summer almost noticeably cringed as Seth agreed.

"Cool," Noah declared as he bounded towards his closet to get dressed.

"Ugh, Seth!" Summer grimaced as she turned and walked out of the room.

Seth's smile disappeared as he cocked his head and looked curiously after her retreating form before he figured he should follow her.

"What?" he asked once he caught up to her halfway down the stairs.

She rolled her eyes and turned to him. "Why do you let him play that? It's disgusting, and he's only six."

"What?" he asked again, raising his hands in innocence and confusion, truly dumbfounded as to what the problem was.

"Chopping heads off, impaling people on poles, throwing people off skyscrapers and listening to them splat once they hit the ground…" she listed with a pointed head tilt as she crossed her arms over her chest. "You don't see what my problem is?"

Seth diverted his eyes and sucked in his lips as he suddenly realized why she might have a problem.

Summer cleared her throat and looked at him expectantly with raised eyebrows, her gaze unwavering when he finally got the guts to look at her again.

"I guess I could see how it may be a bit too graphic for a six-year-old."

"Uh, yeah," she nodded as she turned and continued down the stairs.

"God," Seth mumbled when she was out of earshot. "She's just like my mother."

Then he outwardly cringed and squirmed at the statement as he let the full meaning of it register. "Never mind," he muttered for his own benefit as he turned and made his way back up stairs to help Noah finish getting ready.

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"Mom?! Mommy?!" Summer heard her son's voice before she even heard the sound of the front door slamming.

A few seconds later she was greeted with the sight of Noah skip-hopping towards her, Seth following behind with Noah's sports bag hanging over his shoulder and water bottle in hand.

'Oh, Noah," Seth moaned. "Don't run in the house with your cleats on. Your mom gets mad at me for that."

Summer rolled her eyes at Seth over Noah's head before looking down at him sternly and expectantly.

"Sorry, mom," Noah grinned sheepishly, more subdued than he'd been all morning.

He got a lot of things from Seth, most noticeable being his energy, his hair, and his absolute hatred of disappointing Summer. He never liked to see his mother upset with him.

Summer hoped he stayed like that through his teens.

Noah hurriedly bent down and slipped the cleats off and handed them to Seth, and she smiled a little at Seth's scoff and eye roll at suddenly being made his son's servant. But Summer could see the amusement in Seth's eyes too, which probably explained why he didn't say anything, just shook his head as he slipped the shoes into the bag hanging over his shoulder.

_He had probably been exactly like that when he was younger_, Summer thought to herself. In fact she probably wouldn't be surprised to see a similar display put on by Sandy and Seth now.

"Mommy, guess what," Noah grasped her hand, bringing her attention away from her thoughts.

"Huh, baby?" Summer smiled down at him.

"The coach let me play midfield today in practice; and I played for the entire scrimmage; and he said he was going to let me do the coin toss at the next game because I did so good this practice," he rattled off all in one breath.

"Aw, that's great, honey," she said warmly as she ran her fingers through his mess of black curls. "And didn't Grandpa say last night he was coming to your next game?"

Noah's eyes lit up as he remembered. "Yeah! And Grandma and Grandpa Cohen come to all my games, so everyone'll be there to see."

"Yeah, buddy," Seth assured him from behind.

"Can we go play Playstation, now?" he asked, turning to Seth, quickly losing interest in something that wouldn't happen for another week in favor of pursuing fun that he could be having at the moment. He had definitely inherited the attention span of his father.

Seth gave him an authoritative glance, raising an eyebrow. "What did I say in the car? Shower first, then Playstation. I don't want to be rushing around to get you ready for Grandma and Grandpa's later."

"Oh, right," Noah recalled disappointedly, then looked up hopefully again. "But as soon as I get done we can play, right?"

"Yeah, definitely," Seth smirked.

"'Kay!" Noah quickly agreed as he started for the stairs.

"Hey, wait a second," Seth called after him, holding up the sports bag and water bottle. "Aren't you forgetting something?"

"Right," Noah grinned innocently as he came bounding back and took the two items from Seth. "Sorry, dad."

"Don't forget, the water bottle goes in the sink… and don't let those cleats touch the carpet in your room. Keep them in the bag," Summer called to his retreating form.

With Noah gone Seth turned his attention to Summer, eyeing the overflowing laundry basket in her hands. "I thought I told you not to worry about any of this house stuff today," he scolded warmly as he took the basket from her. "I said I'd take care of it."

"Cohen," she rolled her eyes as she released her hold on the basket. "I can do a little laundry."

"I know you can," Seth sighed as he started towards the laundry room. "But I don't want you to. I wanted you to relax while I took Noah, not just go to work doing something else."

"How do you know I didn't relax this morning after you guys left," she challenged, raising an eyebrow.

"Did you?"

She followed behind him, crossing her arms smugly. "As a matter-of-fact I did."

He set the basket on top of the dryer and turned towards her, eyeing her skeptically. "What'd you do?"

"Took a nap," she answered vaguely, looking down and picking at a piece of fake lint on her shirt distractedly.

Seth already knew where this was going. "How long?"

Summer's eyes narrowed and her self-satisfied smile shrank from her lips. "Ten minutes…" she admitted bitterly. "But I couldn't help it. I can't go back to sleep once I'm already up."

"So what'd you do?" Seth smirked.

Summer nodded her head in the direction of several piles of freshly folded laundry sitting on a small table in the corner of the room. "This is the last load," she confessed guiltily at the disappointed look on Seth's face.

"Cohen, it doesn't matter," she tried to appease. "I don't care."

"I do," he stated adamantly. "And you are not doing anymore work today."

"I wasn't planning on it, anyway…" she said as a grin spread across her face and her hands moved up to run her fingers over his chest. "Because I believe someone promised me a nice dinner and relaxing night, and I'm collecting."

Seth noticeably tensed at the mention of this and his nose wrinkled worriedly as he looked at her. "About that…"

Summer's face fell a little as her hands slid down his chest to rest on his hips. "What do you mean?"

"It's still happening," Seth made quick work of making that clear. "It's just happening a little later than I planned."

"Why?"

"I talked to my parents and they said they had no problem keeping Noah for the night, but they wanted us to stay for dinner, too."

"Well didn't you just tell them we already had plans?" she asked. It's not that she didn't love Sandy and Kirsten, but they could have dinner over there any time. She and Noah had just been there two nights before. She didn't see why they would mind if she and Seth had already made other plans.

"Yeah," he nodded, "but they actually said they had something important they wanted to tell us."

"Oh," Summer accepted, but she was still confused. "Well why can't they just tell us over the phone or when we drop him off?"

Seth shrugged, "They said they wanted to tell us and Ryan at the same time, and Ryan's already coming up from San Diego tonight."

"Okay," she kind of half shrugged, half nodded in acceptance, though her disappointment was still very evident. But she moved closer to him and let her arms slide around his back and pressed her face into his chest to let him know that she wasn't upset with him. "So we'll just start a little later."

"Yeah," Seth nodded, smiling down as he kissed her forehead. "And I promise it'll be amazing. Thanks for being okay with it. You know my parents wouldn't have insisted unless it was something big."

"I know," she agreed, her mind wondering a little. "That's actually got me a little worried. You don't think it's anything bad, do you?"

"Nah," Seth tried to assure her, though he was having a hard time figuring what other important news there could be. "My mom didn't sound any different or like anything was wrong on the phone."

She sighed, pulling away from him. "Good."

Seth just smiled slightly in response as she pulled herself up onto the dryer next to him and he started throwing the dirty clothes from the basket into the washing machine.

They sat in a comfortable silence for the few minutes it took Seth to load the clothes.

And as he threw the last bit of laundry in and shut the washer Summer nudged him with her shoulder slightly, bringing his attention over to her as soon as he finished setting the cycle.

"So, are you going tell me what you have planned for tonight?"

"Sure…" Seth nodded shifting slightly so he was standing between her legs with his hands resting on her thighs. "I'll tell you tonight," he finished, smirking devilishly as Summer's cute smile shifted to a glare.

Her mouth hung slightly open for a minute before pouting, "I want to know now."

Seth narrowed his eyes and cocked his head curiously at her childish display. "Don't you know patience is a virtue? You sound like Noah."

"I'm not six," she huffed. "And I shouldn't have to wait to know if I'm already being nice about having to wait until after dinner at your parents."

"Well you're just going to have to," he stated as he leaned forward and kissed her nose.

"Can I have a hint?"

"No," Seth scoffed. "You never let me stop at just one hint, and you always end up guessing."

"Fine," Summer narrowed her eyes, bringing her hands down on his that had been massaging up and down her thighs, liberally peaking under the material of her shorts at frequent intervals. "Then no touching," she challenged as she pushed them off to hang at his sides.

His eyes literally widened at her new tactic. "And now you're throwing a tantrum?" he asked in disbelief. "Because I want to surprise you?"

She nodded, not at all ashamed or embarrassed by the fact.

"Fine, you really want me to tell you?" he gave in, annoyed and disappointed.

"Yes."

"And ruin the surprise?" he stalled.

"Yep."

"Fine…" he conceded, though he hesitated for just a moment to make sure she wasn't going to relent at the last minute. When she continued to stare expectantly he sighed and rolled his eyes. "I called Jeff," he stated simply as if that explained everything.

Summer stared blankly at him. "Who's Jeff?"

"The marina attendant," he exhaled, annoyed that she couldn't just catch on and save him from having to reveal all of his surprise. He would have liked her to at least have figured some of it out on her own so it was still somewhat of a surprise for her instead of him just telling her all of it.

"What about him?"

Seth sighed, completely giving up. "I told him to get the _Summer Breeze_ ready to take out tonight. They're fueling it up and making sure everything's stocked and stuff."

"Oh," realization dawned on her and a smile spread across her face for a moment before it fell again a second later and she frowned, looking disappointed.

"What?" he asked worried. "Do you not want to go? Is that not good?"

"No," she quickly stated, shaking her head. "It's just that…" she hesitated, biting her bottom lip. "Well… that would have been a really good surprise."

Seth threw his arms up in defeat and backed away, shaking his head in surrender. "I give up! You're impossible, you know that?"

"Cohen," Summer crooned, reaching for him.

He bowed his head and slowly slumped back between her legs and into her open arms. He buried his head in her neck and murmured after a moment, "You ruined my surprise."

"I know, I'm sorry," she apologized as she pulled back so she could look at him. "But it sounds amazing," she tried to appease him as she leaned into his embrace and let her lips fall against his for a chaste kiss.

Seth just shook his head and looked down when she pulled away, his lips pouted slightly, making him very much resemble a little boy refusing to speak because he got his feelings hurt and wasn't quite ready to forget about it just yet.

"_Se-eth_…" Summer cooed, ducking her head to try to see his face as she ran her finger across his bottom lip to try to get him to look up.

After several seconds of no progress she gave up the sweet tactic.

She leaned forward, brushing her lips across his ear as she breathed into it, "If you talk to me now… I promise I'll make it up to you."

But this didn't warrant an immediate response either, and Summer was about to get really frustrated and just smack him across the chest and tell him to stop being a baby, but then he let up a little and looked up, his brown puppy dog eyes making contact with hers.

He didn't raise his head completely, but he rewarded her with a glance as his hand slowly slid down her side and started fingering the bottom of her shorts.

"Now?" he asked innocently as his fingers slipped a little further under the fabric to stroke her bare skin.

Summer let out a short laugh as she gripped the hand that had started a rather rapid assent up her shorts. "Now that sounds more like my husband."

"Come on…" Seth whispered as he brought his lips to her neck and allowed the hand that had previously been lying idle at his side to work its way up her leg to follow the pursuit of its brother. Summer allowed temptation to get the best of her for a few seconds more this time, and as a result this hand made it a few inches further up her leg before she reached down and stopped it.

"I don't think so, Cohen. You're supposed to be playing video games with your son."

"Not right this second," he whined, not exactly making his argument more convincing. "He's taking a shower. That's plenty of time."

Summer scoffed and gave him a signature "are you serious?" look. "He's six with an ever-lasting supply of energy. It's not going to take him more than fifteen minutes to shower, get dressed and then come looking for you. And…" Summer continued, looking at the wall clock over Seth's head as he slid his lips down to run over the area of her chest just above where her shirt stopped. "It's already been nine minutes," she finished as she gripped her fingers through his hair and pulled softly so that he was looking up at her.

"So…" he smirked, breaking the rather lax hold she had on his head and burying it again against her neck, this time letting his tongue peek out and brush across the sensitive skin. "I can do plenty in six minutes," he finished breathily against her skin.

"Yeah, I know," she commented smartly. "I remember our first time."

Seth pulled back and glared at her, his hands giving up on the goal of making it up her legs and sliding down to rest on her knees.

Summer just smiled sweetly and pointed at the clock behind his head. "Four minutes," she stated, and held up four corresponding fingers.

Seth grunted as he took her by surprise and grabbed her face, bringing it to his in a heated kiss that had her falling against his chest and wrapping her arms tightly around his shoulders. His tongue drove into her mouth greedily, massaging against hers as one hand gripped her ass and held her closer to him while the other slipped under her shirt and smoothed over the skin of her back.

It was another minute before he pulled back, his lips still barely brushing hers as he opened his eyes to look at her.

Her mouth was still hanging slightly open as her eyes remained closed and her hands slid down his arms to cover his hands still grasping her face.

"Whoa," she breathed, inwardly chiding herself for sounding like one of those dumb blondes those cheesy high school romantic comedies.

She'd been kissing him for the better part of twenty years. While nice, his kisses weren't supposed to still be leaving her speechless. And yet…

"Yeah," Seth agreed, moving in to kiss her again.

But just as their lips were about to reconnect Summer pulled away abruptly, her attention all of a sudden focused on something beyond him.

After a moment she sighed and let her forehead fall against his. "Do you hear that?"

"What?"

Summer smiled regretfully. "The sound of little feet jumping down the stairs."

A groan vibrated against her neck as Seth buried his head against it once again. "It's a big house; it'll take him at least ten minutes to find us," he attempted, though he wasn't really serious.

He had known their fun would have to wait another few hours until after they'd left his parents.

This was a nice preview, though, he had to admit.

Summer kissed him one last time before pushing him towards the door. "Just wait until tonight, Cohen," Summer called playfully after him.

Seth turned to look at her curiously and she smirked. "I'm gonna blow your mind."

He grinned and grabbed at his chest, groaning in mock agony. He then offered her one last smile as he opened the door and made his way towards the sound of Noah's calling voice.

Summer sighed as she jumped down from the dryer, standing for a moment to straighten out her shirt that Seth had gotten out of place with his wandering hands.

"Hey," she looked up to see Seth again, his head peeking back around the door.

"Yeah?"

"Ditto," he smirked before turning again and leaving her with that thought.

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AN: So yeah, please review if you're so inclined, though I can't expect it considering I'm not the best reviewer in the world, but if you think about it...

I will try to get the next chapter out soon, but I'll admit it hasn't been started yet, so please be patient.


	6. Chapter 6

AN: I'm so, so sorry about the wait, but I haven't given up on this story so I hope some people are out there still reading. Things so much for all of the great reviews. They're really appreciated.

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Seth's head was reeling. How could his parents all of a sudden just be-

"You're moving to Berkeley?" Summer asked, shocked.

Sandy and Kirsten stood on the other side of the kitchen island gauging their family's reaction.

Taylor and Ryan stood next to Seth and Summer, equally stunned. In the minute since the older Cohens had broken the news Summer had been the only one able to form words.

"Why?" Seth finally managed.

Kirsten eased into the explanation, "Well… we have several reasons."

"Well, please, give us any, because I have absolutely no idea where this is coming from. How do you just up and decide to move to Berkeley?" Seth questioned bitterly.

"Seth," Sandy took over, "You're the one who spent the better part of your childhood reminding us that our move to Newport was only ever supposed to be temporary."

He gaped incredulously. "So now that I move my family back here to be closer to you guys you're taking me up on it?"

"Cohen!" Summer snapped. She couldn't say she wasn't as shocked as Seth, and that the same idea hadn't been running through her own mind, but she really wished he could learn how to censor his thoughts until he at least had all of the information.

"Look, Seth…" Ryan interjected, playing Seth's voice of reason like usual, "just give them a chance to talk."

Seth sighed and nodded, calming a bit. "You're right. I'm sorry," he offered up to his parents, his eyes downcast stubbornly as he admitted his error. "This isn't about me."

"Your right," Kirsten agreed, though it wasn't harsh. She continued softly, "A lot's happened in the last two weeks that you don't know about…"

Summer eyed her curiously. Maybe Seth and Ryan and Taylor hadn't been in Newport or keeping up regular visits to the Cohens' over the past two weeks, but she had been by at least three times with Noah and nothing had ever come up or seemed off to her.

Seth too quirked an eyebrow and waited for her to expound.

"What do you mean?" Ryan finally spoke up.

"I had a check up about two weeks ago," Kirsten started slowly. "Right before you left for New York," she added, tilting her head towards Seth.

The four eyed each other warily at this bit of information. The last time Kirsten had begun a conversation with the phrase, "I had a check up…" Seth and Summer had been settled in New York while Ryan had been living in Seattle as a single father to a newborn. Less than a year later they had all had to relocate to southern California to support Kirsten through one of the most difficult experiences of all of their lives.

"Is everything okay?" Seth inquired reluctantly, a lump forming in his throat as he dreaded the answer.

"They saw something that looked inconsistent on one of the scans."

Seth's eyes kind of glossed over as he stared at his mother, his concern overshadowing all other emotions he may have been feeling just a few minutes before. "What was it? Why didn't you tell us sooner?"

"You had just left for New York when they called and asked me to come in for more tests. We didn't want to worry you and have you come rushing home because of something we weren't even sure about."

"I would have wanted to be here…"

"Yeah, me too," Ryan agreed, stepping forward. He and Seth had both worked their way closer to Kirsten and Sandy while Taylor and Summer had eased away some, giving the boys some space.

"We know you would have come, that's why we didn't say anything sooner. We wanted to make sure we knew what was going on for sure before you boys were dropping everything to be here."

"Well, do you know now?" Ryan asked. "Did you go in for more tests?"

"Yes," Kirsten sighed, then slowly let a soft smile spread across her face. "The tests came back negative. It was just a misreading on one of the machines."

A sigh of relief sounded through the kitchen as Taylor and Summer grabbed for each other's hands while Seth and Ryan both descended on Kirsten, crushing her into a group hug.

"God, mom..." Seth whined when he pulled back, "don't scare us like that. You couldn't have just said that from the beginning?" His tone was much lighter, and laced with relief now that the heavy cloud wasn't hanging over them.

"Well maybe she would have if you would have stopped talking long enough to let her finish," Sandy chided good-humoredly.

"You guys should know by now to just interrupt me or tell me to shut up."

"Oh…" Kirsten pulled back smiling, brushing a comforting hand over Seth's shoulder. "I think it's sweet that you were so concerned. I know that's just how you show you care."

Silence overtook the group for a moment until a look came over Taylor's face and she looked at Sandy and Kirsten curiously, moving forward to join the four and finally speaking. "So then what does that have to do with you two moving to Berkeley?"

Summer moved forward and took Seth's hand as she joined the other three in their quizzical staring.

"Well… this last scare showed us that we don't have all the time left in the world. We can't keep putting things off until a later day," Sandy explained. "We never wanted to stay in Newport forever, and Berkeley has always been our real home. We just got a little distracted for awhile."

"And it's not that far," Kirsten added quickly. "We'll be down all the time to visit and see Noah and Kayla. And of course we'll want you all to come up as much as you want."

Seth sighed and nodded, still trying to digest all of the new information.

Summer and Taylor both smiled supportively but stayed quiet. The Cohens had always made them feel like part of the family, and neither one had ever doubted her place, but there were still some instances where it was better to just nod, smile and let Ryan and Seth do the talking.

"Well if that's what you really want then we're happy for you," Ryan spoke as he surveyed the other three out of the corner of his eye to make sure they were all in agreement.

"Yeah, of course," Taylor nodded.

"Totally," Summer followed.

"Of course I'm happy for you guys, I'm just going to miss seeing you all the time," Seth offered sincerely, moving forward to embrace his mother again.

The other three followed his lead and all took their turn offering congratulatory hugs to both Sandy and Kirsten.

"So when's this move going to be taking place?" Seth asked as all the hugging finished and he returned to Summer, wrapping an arm around her shoulders as he waited for the response.

"Cohen," Summer poked him in the ribs, chiding his pushiness. "They probably just decided for sure on moving. Don't be annoying."

"Actually," Kirsten corrected, "we were thinking soon. We've already talked to a realtor about selling this place, and we're going to the bay next week to look at some homes we're interested in."

"Wow, so by soon you mean really soon," Seth commented.

"We don't want to waste anymore time," Sandy grinned.

"Well you know if you need any help with the packing or the moving just call," Ryan offered.

"And, of course, if you need help with the decorating…"

"We'll call you, Summer."

Taylor was about to offer her assistance as well when Noah and Ryan's five-year-old came scampering into the room.

"Daddy?" Kayla tugged at Ryan's jeans. "Can we go in the pool now? Noah said it's been 30 minutes since we ate."

Ryan looked at Seth curiously.

He shrugged and rolled his eyes. "I don't know, man. It's Summer's rule."

Seth flinched as Summer's hand made contact with his chest. "They'll get cramps and drown, Cohen!"

"Says who? Dr. Phil?"

"Uh, try your mother."

Seth scoffed, turning towards Kirsten and rolling his eyes again. "Are you kidding? You never made me wait when I was younger."

"That was before I read an article about it in the newspaper. A little boy died because he went swimming right after eating, got a cramp and drowned."

"Well it's not like we're just going to chuck our kids into the pool and leave them. We'll be out there watching."

"_Daaaaad_…" Noah's whine interrupted the discussion. "_Can we goooooo_?"

"Yeah, yeah," Seth nodded, shaking his head and scoffing one more time at his wife and mother. Then, without warning, he swiftly scooped Noah into his arms and rushed out of the open patio door towards the pool, all the while teasing, "So you really wanna go in the pool now, huh?"

"No, daddy! Don't throw me in…!" Noah's squeals could be heard resonating through the kitchen. Summer sighed and shook her head before following behind them.

"What?" Seth asked innocently, continuing to taunt Noah by dangling him over the edge. "You're the one who wanted to go in so badly just a minute ago."

"No, I don't have my bathing suit on yet! Mommy'll be mad!"

"Oh, no!" Seth gasped. "Well maybe you should have thought about that before-"

"She'll be mad at _you_," Noah quickly amended as he felt his father loosening his grip.

Seth let out an exaggerated, mocking guffaw. "I'm not scared of her. And I'll let you in on a secret..." he lowered his voice, "she's not nearly as scary as she tries to be."

Noah, suddenly seeming to forget that just moments before he was in serious danger of being thrown into the cold pool, adjusted until he was draped comfortably over Seth's arms. He narrowed his eyes skeptically at his dad. "Then why do you always do what she says?"

"Because I'm just nice like that," Seth answered immediately and narrowed his own eyes in turn, returning the challenge, "but I don't have to be that nice to you."

"Yes you do, because if you're not nice to me then Mommy won't be nice to you."

"How do you know? Maybe Mommy likes me better than you-"

"Not a chance," came Summer's immediate reply from behind them. "Seth Cohen, you put him down right now or you will be going in that pool with him."

Seth hesitated for a moment, considering how serious she was, before conceding and turning to face her, setting Noah safely down on the dry deck. He found Summer, Taylor and his mother all scrutinizing him with arms folded over their chests.

He rolled his eyes. "I wouldn't have really thrown him in."

"Go get him one of his suits from upstairs," Summer ordered, ignoring Seth's attempt to make peace.

"Yes, ma'am," he mumbled obediently as he placed a hand on Noah's shoulder and guided him back into the house.

The three girls shared a smile as soon as he passed. Summer loved how quick he was to do what she asked. Taylor and Kirsten loved that the trait was shared by Ryan and Sandy.

"_Ooooh_, Uncle Seth," Kayla spoke menacingly as soon as he entered through the door, "Daddy and Grandpa said you were in _trouble_…"

Seth looked up to see his brother and father both holding back laughter and glared at them. "Well your daddy and Grandpa are right. Now come on," he smiled as he reached for her hand. "Let's go get your suit on so you can go swimming too."

"Yay!" Kayla shouted as she pulled away from her father's leg and took Seth's offered hand.

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Taylor studied Summer from her spot next to Kirsten at one of the stone patio tables set up on the Cohens' back deck.

Summer had sat herself at one of the loungers by the pool 30 minutes before and hadn't moved since. She seemed perfectly content watching her husband and son splash around in the water for hours.

It amazed Taylor sometimes when she observed Summer's life. She'd been with Seth since she was 16 and her feelings didn't seem to be faltering at all. She had yet to even reach that point of complacent boredom that hit most Orange County housewives at about 25. Summer was still as fixated on him as she was senior year when Taylor watched from a hidden corner as she climbed up on their sacred coffee cart and declared that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him.

Taylor admired Seth and Summer's relationship. They were happy. They had the cutest little boy who adored them both. They both had jobs they loved. And they were the new Sandy and Kirsten Cohen- the moral center of Newport who never let temptations or obstacles threaten what they had. Any doubts or issues that faced them when they were younger had disappeared and were replaced by one of the strongest, most honest relationships Taylor had ever encountered.

She'd been wondering since she was 19 if she and Ryan would ever be able to reach that level. They'd gone their separate ways and reunited enough times to give the teenage Seth and Summer a run for their money, and they certainly had the passion that the other couple shared, but they had yet to really stand the test of longevity. Seth and Summer had been together for almost 16 years and were growing stronger everyday, and, according to Summer, had yet to lose that spark and attraction they carried for each other.

And Taylor could attest to that fact, at least the physical aspect. She had been sojourning in Italy at a friend's for a few weeks when Seth and Summer had been in Tuscany celebrating their fifth anniversary. When they'd found out she was in Italy they'd made a quick, one night detour to Rome to see her, and when she visited their hotel the next morning she had seen the evidence of the previous night's passion in the trash by the door. At least three wrappers had been visible to her, and there was nothing that said she hadn't missed some. According to Summer she had forgotten her pills in the states and her and Seth had been going through condoms like crazy the entire time they'd been there. And while most people would have been disturbed at the over share, Taylor wasn't most people, and she never had a problem talking about sex, so she took the opportunity to pick Summer's brain about how to make the passion last. And, like most of their conversations pertaining to that subject, it had ended with Summer blushing furiously and Taylor shamelessly mulling over all the new information.

She was about to reach her own anniversary with Ryan - two years, a record for them. They'd never done that before. Every time they'd attempted something had gotten in the way: School, commitment issues, job offers, pregnant ex-girlfriends… Taylor had been ready to commit to Ryan six years before. She had sold her condo in New York and had already paid first, last and security on a place in Seattle where Ryan worked at an architectural firm. She had put in her notice at the _Times_ and was transferring to a smaller paper in the northwest. Then, two weeks before she was supposed to leave, he had called and told her not to come. He had wanted to be with her but an old girlfriend- or really a girl he had just gone out with a few times- was pregnant. He was having a baby and he had to do the right thing. He couldn't be starting a relationship when he needed to be there for the mother and his baby.

They hadn't reconnected again until Ryan moved to San Diego to be closer to the Cohens and Taylor had been there for a brief trial at a political journal based there. Ryan had wanted to go slow for Kayla's sake. Her mother had been young and unstable, not ready to settle down and partying months into her pregnancy. Her wild ways had forced her into premature labor and she died due to complications during the birth. So Ryan was fiercely protective of his daughter and wouldn't let anyone into her life that he wasn't sure would be a constant.

So they had waited a year before acting on any leftover feelings. But Ryan quickly saw that he couldn't handle it. He hadn't been ready. He'd felt he should have been devoting himself fully to his daughter at the time and who was Taylor to argue with that. She respected him more for it. So they took a break. She traveled for over a year, hence her conveniently being in Europe during Seth and Summer's second honeymoon.

When she had returned more than a year and a half later it had taken her almost a month to call him. When she finally did get the courage they had started slow, dating casually for almost three months before Ryan would even let her stay the night. A year later she moved in, and now they were pushing two years – a record and quite an accomplishment for the two.

But Taylor was still looking forward, wondering if they would ever reach the Seth and Summer level of commitment. She was never an idealist when it came to love, so she hated the term "soulmates", but if she had to use the label on some couple it would definitely be the two Cohen ones.

College and high school sweethearts; the liberal outcasts who had taught the Newport princesses passion and idealism; settling in the capital city of extra-marital affairs and never once being tempted away; the sex drives of teenagers.

Taylor hoped that Ryan was the Sandy or Seth to her Kirsten or Summer. She felt the connection, and she was more than a little invested in Kayla, so she felt now more than ever that he was the one. And as long as she continued to get her example from the only two couples she had known to stand the test of time, she figured they had a pretty good chance.

She was brought out of her thoughts by a shocked shriek. She looked up to see Summer standing a good five feet behind the chair she had previously been occupying and glaring at Seth and Noah.

"Who splashed me?"

Both Seth and Noah wordlessly pointed at each other from their place bobbing at the side of the pool.

Seth gasped and cried indignantly, "Aw, buddy! You sold me down the creek just to save yourself? Some partner you are."

"So it was you?" Summer questioned, eyeing him dangerously, though there was a smile playing at her lips.

Seth grinned sheepishly, and Taylor could almost sense Summer's insides melting as she tried to stare down her boys.

Taylor smirked when Seth shrugged and tried to save himself from some of the severity of Summer's wrath.

"It was his idea," he nodded towards Noah, who immediately shook his head and smiled angelically up at his mother. "Yeah huh," Seth responded childishly and let his mouth fall open in shock when the boy just shook his head and stuck his tongue out. "It was too!" Seth continued, turning back to Summer. "He just made me do the splashing because I was bigger; I had more leverage."

"It doesn't matter, if it happens again you're both in trouble," she warned, though both boys could tell it was an empty threat. But both gave the obligatory gulp and nod before turning back to each other in the pool and gesturing wildly between each other, obviously still arguing about who was really at fault. It ended when Seth got a devilish look in his eyes and dunked a giggling Noah.

Taylor brought her attention back to Summer and couldn't help but smile when she saw the satisfied gleam in her friend's eyes as she once again sat in her lounger and observed her family.

Yeah, Taylor decided, if she could achieve just half of the happiness she saw in Summer's eyes at that moment she was convinced she would be the second happiest woman on earth.

She envied them from afar for a few moments more, watching curiously as Seth dropped Noah off at the shallow end of the pool under the watchful eye of Ryan before returning to the side near Summer and beckoning her to him with a subtle curl of his finger. She eyed him suspiciously but smirked as she stood and approached him, squatting when she reached the side so they were level.

Taylor didn't really mean to ease drop, but she was so close she couldn't help overhearing. Or maybe she was just still as nosy as she had been in high school and couldn't resist the urge to lean forward and capture the intimate exchange.

Seth motioned for Summer to lean forward so he could raise his lips to her ear and Taylor's own ears perked anxiously.

"So... what would my punishment be if I did splash you again?" he inquired in a hushed tone with an impish grin.

Taylor could see the smirk form over Summer's profile before she leaned forward and whispered something in Seth's ear so quietly that it didn't drift over to the little table hosting the curious ears and prying eyes. But the way his eyes bulged and the groan that escaped left little for Taylor to wonder.

"In that case," Seth spoke a little louder this time, "maybe I should just pull you in now."

Summer shrieked as he finished his statement by grasping the arm she had been using to brace herself against the deck with his cold, wet hand and tugging gently. She lost her balance and fell forward, a brief look of terror crossing her face before Seth caught her shoulders and brought his lips up to hers, capturing them in an intimate but quick kiss that would hopefully go unnoticed by the wandering eyes of impressionable children.

When they pulled apart Seth was staring at her with such sincere love and desire that Taylor shivered at just the thought of what that look must be doing to Summer. Their lips came together one last time in a brief meeting before she raised a hand to muss his hair and then sent him on his way back into the pool.

"They're cute," Kirsten's statement brought Taylor out of her concentration.

She turned her head to see Kirsten also watching the display from her spot at the table.

Taylor nodded her agreement as she turned in her chair to face Kirsten. "When they were younger did you ever think they would end up here?"

"_Younger_?" Kirsten repeated. "Like when we used to bring Seth to all those Newport events against his will and he would spend the entire night sulking in the corner while Summer was the most popular kid in the room? No, I didn't think they'd end up here, no matter how much he drooled over her. And when Seth still had so much growing up to do and he ran away for the summer and left her, I still didn't think they'd end up here. For a long time I thought what Seth felt for her was just a childhood crush. She was this infallible being that he placed up on a pedestal. I had nothing against her, but I just assumed that eventually reality would overcome the fantasy."

"Obviously that never happened."

"No," Kirsten smiled as she gazed at Noah and Seth in the pool. "And I'm so happy I was wrong about them. I don't think anything else could have made my son so happy."

Taylor hummed in agreement then added more playfully, "Not to mention they had one hell of a cute kid."

"Oh yeah," she agreed, humored by Taylor's bluntness. "Noah's cuter than Seth was at that age… but don't ever tell Seth I said that."

"Don't worry; I'm sure Summer tells him all the time."

They sat in reflective silence for a few minutes before Kirsten spoke up, starting on a new subject.

"So you and Kayla seem to be getting along better than you did last visit."

"Oh, we have our moments," Taylor shrugged dismissively, though Kirsten could sense her mind wandering.

"She really wasn't happy when you first moved in, huh?"

"Well, really, who could blame her? She's a little girl who had Ryan to herself her whole life. When my dad first married my stepmother when I was nine I hated her… of course she was a gold digging bitch who never let him see me and eventually convinced him to move away, so I guess my motivation was a little more valid."

"Well, it seems like you guys are adjusted now. You look like a happy family."

"Yeah," Taylor smiled fondly as she realized that for the first time herself. She never would have said something like that in front of Ryan for fear of freaking him out, but Kirsten was different. She gave off this knowing, motherly vibe that just said she knew when Taylor wanted what they talked about to be kept private and when she was secretly begging for Kirsten to go talk some sense into her son. Taylor knew she never had to worry about Kirsten letting details of their conversations slip in front of Ryan.

"Hey, mind if I join you guys?"

Summer's voice broke them out of their thoughts and they turned from each other to see her standing a few feet from them, her sundress sprinkled with little water droplets, and waiting for her inevitable invitation to join them.

"Of course not," Kirsten answered in that pleasant and welcoming manner that came so natural to her.

"Did you grow bored of gazing at your perfect family and thinking about how great your life is?" Taylor teased lightly as she pulled the chair next to her out from under the table for Summer to sit.

Summer's cheeks tinged a slight pink, but she replied quickly and smoothly, "No, actually, your stupid boyfriend and his stupid brother kept getting the kids to splash me so I finally just gave up."

"Glad to see I raised a couple of gentlemen," Kirsten sighed, but still smiled when she looked over at the pool to see Seth and Ryan shrugging and smiling up at her innocently.

"I love how he's my boyfriend's brother when he's doing something bad but your husband when he's being good."

"Well duh. I'm not taking responsibility for him when he's like that."

"So you'll pass it on to me?"

"Yep," Summer grinned.

"Actually, girls," Kirsten interjected, "I think this is the part where your supposed to blame the mother."

"Uh, uh," Taylor shook her head, "we can't pass Seth and Ryan's immaturity off on you."

"She's right," Summer shook her head too. "Nobody deserves credit for that. It's like… innate. They can't help it."

"It's true," Kirsten continued seriously, though amusement laced her voice. "It's what daughters-in-law do. I blamed Sophie for everything wrong with Sandy when we first got married."

"But she was mean to you," Summer argued. "We like you."

Just as Taylor was about to add her own opinion all three ladies were distracted by the abrupt swinging open of the glass doors that lead from the master bedroom onto the pool deck. Another second later Sandy came charging out, adorned in swimming trunks, and did an inspired cannonball into the pool, creating waves that washed clear over the heads of the others in the pool.

Summer watched the scene for a few moments before turning back to the other two women. "Why don't we just compromise…" she suggested and Taylor and Kirsten both looked at her curiously. "We'll just blame it on the father."

"That works out nicely," Taylor agreed.

"And I appreciate it," Kirsten added, smiling as she and the girls shared their silent amusement while watching the boys play.

Kirsten stood after a few more minutes. "Well, I'm going to go make sure Seth's old room is all set up for Noah tonight. I asked Rosa to put the Spiderman sheets on the bed but I don't know if she remembered."

"Oh no, Kirsten," Summer protested immediately, standing. "I can go do that. Stay here."

"It's fine. It's starting to get a bit too cool out here for me anyway."

"Well then I can at least help."

"Don't worry about it. Stay and talk to Taylor; you haven't seen her in months. You just saw me last week."

Summer sighed and sat back down reluctantly. "Okay, go in if you're cold, but please don't worry about the room. I'll set it up for him before we leave."

"Alright," Kirsten agreed to appease her, but they all knew she wasn't really going to listen. But Summer accepted it, knowing from experience there was no point in arguing.

"So how is everything with you?" Summer asked, following Kirsten's order to catch up with Taylor.

"Oh, you know, nothing new," she replied vaguely.

But Taylor was never a particularly hard person to read, so Summer could easily tell there was something the girl was dying to get out.

"Really? Nothing?"

"Nope. Same ol' same ol'. Work's good; things with Ryan are great; I'm late; I just got a new car; ooh, and I started this great new fitness program at the gym-"

"Wait! Hold up… What'd you say?"

"The new car? Oh, yeah, it's great. It's the Lexus hybrid… great on gas mileage. And it runs so-"

"Taylor! We both know what you said, and we both know you said it because you wanted me to hear it, so why don't you just tell me and save us both time."

Hesitation glimmered in Taylor's eyes as the petit yet still wildly intimidating brunette stared her down. No wonder Noah was such a well-behaved kid. Summer had a very convincing mom voice. The thought was almost laughable to Taylor, considering she had observed Summer all through her wild party days at Harbor, but the tiny woman had a truth-seeking glare almost as forceful as her tone, so all humor in the situation quickly fell from Taylor's thoughts.

"I'm late," she admitted again, watching closely for her friend's reaction.

"Taylor, this is huge!"

Taylor shushed her and glanced nervously around to make sure no unwanted attention had been drawn to them by Summer's outburst. The boys and Kayla remained sufficiently distracted in the pool.

Summer rolled her eyes at her friend's paranoia, but leaned in closer anyway to placate Taylor's nerves. "How did this happen? You're like the poster girl of safe sex!" she asked in a hushed tone.

"Well you know how there's that one percent…"

Off Summer's doubting glare she recanted. "Or maybe I switched brands of birth control after I saw this really revealing special on _20/20_ about how the kind I was using could actually increase your chances of ovarian cancer when you get older – you know it was really interesting; it really made me rethink all these chemicals we put into our bodies just because the doctor's sa –"

"Taylor!"

"Right, well in the time that it was taking to get into my gynecologist's and get a new prescription we were using condoms, and, last month, on my birthday, there may have been some drunken celebrating, and a condom may have broken while we were too plastered to really notice until afterwards…"

Summer smiled sympathetically at her friend; she was certainly in no position to judge considering she had _knowingly_ forgone protection before and ended up in a similar situation. After pregnancy scare '07, however, her and Seth had certainly learned their lesson, and it never happened again.

"Well, have you told Ryan yet?"

Taylor shook her head.

"Why?"

"I'm scared."

"You don't want to be pregnant?" Summer tried to coax gently, not wanting to overwhelm her but at the same time trying to get the information.

Taylor only shrugged pensively.

"So you _do_ want to be pregnant?" Summer tried again.

The same indecisive reply greeted Summer and she sighed. "You've gotta give me something to work with here, Taylor."

"I want to have kids," she admitted, "I'm just not sure Ryan and I are ready… I'm not sure that _Ryan's_ ready."

"Oh," Summer nodded, understanding. "You're worried that you and Ryan are still working through your commitment issues and that your relationship might not be ready for this."

The perceptiveness of the statement caught Taylor off guard and she eyed Summer apprehensively. "How can you tell all that?"

Summer just shrugged and brushed it aside, "It comes with the mom thing. You learn to read people better."

"Well stop. It's freaking me out."

"Taylor…"

"Right, sorry," she nodded guiltily. "I'll stop changing the subject."

"Taylor," Summer brushed a hand over hers supportively, "you need to take a test and find out for sure. And you need to tell Ryan."

"I know," she admitted reluctantly. "I'm just not sure what order I should do it in."

"Well that's your choice, but you know it'll probably be easier to take the test with Ryan by your side."

"I don't want him to freak out."

"He already has a daughter. And that was with a one night stand, drug addict that he had no interest in starting a family with, and he was still there for her. And you know he's committed to you, Taylor; he'll probably be happy."

"I'm still nervous."

Summer sighed. "Okay, fine. If you want, I'll get you one of those at home tests and I'll be there to take it with you, and then, if it's positive, you can tell Ryan so he can go with you for the official test with a doctor."

"What if I still don't have the guts to tell Ryan until I know for sure?"

Summer took a deep breath then sighed again and considered something briefly before offering another strategy. "Well then I guess you can just go with me… next week… for my appointment."

Taylor's eyes bulged and she looked around covertly to assure there were no wandering ears before leaning in right next to Summer's face, "You mean… you're-" she waved her hand quickly over her own stomach, "too?"

"Maybe," Summer shrugged but a slight grin was growing over her features and her eyes were glimmering with silent delight.

"That's so great, Sum," Taylor leaned forward, giddy and beaming, and wrapped her in a congratulatory hug.

"Well, I don't know for sure yet. I still need to go to the doctor's next week to confirm it."

"Does Seth know yet?"

"No. I started to suspect it right after he left and I took the test a few days ago, but I didn't want to tell him over the phone."

"Why didn't you tell him last night?"

A dull pink flushed through Summer's cheeks and Taylor looked at her curiously.

"It's just, I hadn't actually known that Seth was going to be home last night, so I hadn't exactly had the time to mentally prepare myself to tell him."

"How didn't you know he was coming home?"

"Well, he called last night and said he wouldn't be home until today, and, obviously, I had no reason not to believe him, so I just went on talking until he started acting like there was all this static and he was losing his connection. Then the next thing I know he's standing in front of me…"

"Really?" Taylor sounded impressed. "That is so freaking romantic."

"Yeah, I know. But, y'know, once I saw him the last thing on my mind was telling him about my possible state."

"Understandably…" Taylor agreed. "I mean, _it had been two weeks_… and I probably would have only had one thing on my mind too and-"

"Taylor," Summer scrunched up her face in a show of discomfort and shook her head.

"Right, sorry. I forget you get so uncomfortable talking about your sex life."

"_Taylor_," her eyes widened pleadingly.

"Okay," Taylor raised her hands in surrender. "No more," she promised, but then couldn't help broaching another question. "So, is this something he'll be expecting? Were you guys trying, or is this completely out of left field?"

"Umm…" Summer hesitated before taking a deep breath and shaking her head slowly, "No, we weren't really expecting it. About two years ago we decided we wanted to try for another one, and I stopped taking my birth control and we tried for almost a year… but, obviously, nothing happened."

"Oh, Summer," Taylor spoke softly. "Why didn't you guys ever say anything?"

"Well, it was kind of a tender topic. We didn't completely give up hope, but we decided not to see a specialist," she swallowed and took a deep breath as she rehashed the difficult memory. "We were grateful for Noah, y'know, and we figured if we were only meant to have him then we were still extremely lucky. We figured that whatever should happen would happen."

"So you guys stopped intentionally trying, but you never actually went back on the pill?" Taylor asked to clarify.

"Yeah, pretty much. But we weren't really expecting anything anymore; we stopped watching for the symptoms and stuff. I mean, at first I thought I had just caught a stomach flu from someone at work or Noah's school, but then my period didn't come, I was getting really tired, and then I realized that it was exactly how I'd felt with Noah."

"Oh, Summer," Taylor squeed, "I'm so happy for you guys. I can't believe there's going to be another little Noah running around."

"Well I still have to go to the doctor," Summer tried to remain grounded, but it was obvious she was more than a little excited. "And, if it turns out that I am, I'm actually hoping for less of another little Noah and more for a little me."

"Ooh, a little girl would be _so_ cute…" Taylor squealed quietly again, thoughts of how to dress the hypothetical baby up and toys to buy already running through her head.

"I know," Summer grinned. "I mean, I love Noah to death, and it's so adorable how much like Seth he is, but, you know, it'd be nice to have a little girl that I can bond with like that," she admitted, her head gesturing towards the two boys still laughing and playing around in the pool. Seth currently had Noah on his shoulders and they were engaged in quite an intense chicken fight with Ryan and Kayla.

Taylor rubbed a hand over her friend's supportively. "You would be so great with a little girl."

Summer smiled appreciatively. "Thanks. I hope so."

"So you're going to tell Seth tonight?" Taylor questioned expectantly.

"Uh… yeah," she nodded uncertainly. "Yeah, I think so."

"What else are you waiting for?"

"Nothing really," Summer confessed, shrugging and looking a little embarrassed to admit it. "I just want to make sure he's going to be happy about it."

"Of course he'll be happy about it. You just said you guys tried for a whole year; he'll probably be ecstatic when he finds out."

"I know, it's just… that was two years ago that he wanted to try… but now he's got his new book, and he has all this stuff going on with that. I don't want him to feel trapped or pressured."

"Sum, I don't think you could ever make Seth Cohen feel trapped or pressured. He still worships the ground you walk on. You know he'd do anything for you; and he would probably do it with a smile. And look at him with Noah… there's no way he's not going to want another kid, no matter what's going on with his job right now."

Summer smiled appreciatively as she let Taylor's words sink in.

"Not to mention… the guy's still got a trust fund the size of Texas, so he won't have any problems taking some time off from work."

A small laugh escaped Summer's lips before she sobered a little. "God, I was supposed to be the one comforting you. How did this turn around?"

"Hey, it's fine," Taylor waved a hand dismissively. "It's what friends do, right? Besides, it's comforting all in itself to know that calm, collected Summer Cohen – mom extraordinaire – even has doubts sometimes."

"Well, don't get used to it," Summer grinned. "I'm sure it's just the hormones."

"Ah, yes, the hormones. Something I have to look forward to."

"Hey!" a call from the direction of the pool suddenly pulled their attention from each other. They looked over to see Seth bobbing at the side and looking at Summer questioningly. For a second Summer feared he had overheard something, but then a grin spread across his face and he called to her, "Are you ready to blow this joint? I told Jeff we'd be at the marina by 8."

Summer smiled and nodded, breathing a sigh of relief on the inside.

"Yeah, just let me go check with your mom and make sure everything's set for tonight."

"Kay, I'll get out and dry off."

Later, after Summer had wrapped Noah in a tight hug and then said goodbye to the Cohens, Ryan and Kayla, Taylor walked with her and Seth out to their car.

A scandalous smirk spread across Taylor's face as she hugged Seth goodbye and whispered knowingly in his ear, "Have a good night, Seth."

"I intend to," Seth smirked back as he pulled away and walked around to the other side of the car, leaving Taylor and Summer.

"It was so great seeing you," Taylor pulled her friend into a tight hug. They didn't live that far away from each other, but they still didn't get to see each other as much as they would have liked. "You guys have to come down and visit soon, okay?"

"Yeah, definitely," Summer nodded as she pulled back.

Then, with an inconspicuous glance at Seth to be sure he wasn't listening from inside the car, Taylor pulled Summer closer and whispered, "Tell him tonight."

Summer still looked a little unsettled, but she nodded firmly. "I will. I'll call you tomorrow."

"Good."

"And you have to tell Ryan too."

And now Taylor looked twice as unsettled as Summer had, but she nodded. "I will. I'll do it as soon as we get back to San Diego tomorrow."

They hugged one last time before Taylor turned and walked back into the house.

Seth looked at Summer strangely as she slid into the passenger seat next to him.

"What was all the hushed conversing about?"

Inside Summer's heart skipped a beat but on the outside she calmly shrugged and quirked an eyebrow at him as she buckled her seatbelt. "What are you talking about? We weren't conversing."

"And now you sound about as cryptic and evasive as I did on the phone last night."

"Cohen…" she leaned in close and pressed her lips to his tightly before pulling back and tilting her head at him pointedly. "Stop being so paranoid and drive."

"Okay," he swallowed and nodded.

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Thanks for reading and I really, really appreciate reviews. Again, so sorry about the delay and I'll try my hardest to get the last chapter up faster.


	7. Chapter 7

So yeah, I got some comments about the smuttiness, so I've decided to cut out the unecessary bits. Sorry if I made anyone uncomfortable, but that's why I put the warning there. People had asked for more hotness so I tried to deliver, but I guess it was too much. It was awkward enough to write, so I don't necessarily mind removing it.

I hope this revised copy is easier to read. Plus it's shorter, so it'll save some time.

Thanks to all those who have reviewed and shown their appreciation.

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Seth studied Summer intently from his spot behind the Captain's wheel. Ever since they'd boarded the _Summer Breeze II_ she'd been perched at the bow of the vessel staring out thoughtfully over the inky black ocean.

She had certainly been distracted ever since they'd departed his parents' house and Seth could only conclude that it had something to do with what she and Taylor had been talking about earlier that evening.

He continued to observe her quietly as he allowed the expansive sailboat to settle in the water before he dropped anchor a few hundred yards off shore. They were close enough to reach land quickly in case of any emergencies but far enough from the beach that the sounds of noisy beachgoers and revving motor boats wouldn't disturb them the next morning.

"You know, I was hoping after two weeks away we'd be spending the night a little closer than this."

Summer was startled out of her silent ponderings as Seth approached her from behind brandishing two generously filled champagne flutes. She took the offered one with a subtle smile before turning her attention back to the ocean and the bright Southern California coast line.

"I was just taking some time to think while I let you do all the hard labor," she shrugged as an impish grin graced her features. "It's so much hotter to watch you do it than to have to do it myself."

"Well, anything that makes me more endearing to you…" Seth conceded as he wrapped his arms around her from behind. He felt her sigh and relax a little against his chest as she placed her still full champagne glass on the railing. "So…" he broached cautiously after a moment's silence, "are you going to tell me what's been up with you ever since we left my parents'?"

Summer shook her head dismissively as she unsuccessfully tried to convey a sense of casual disregard to the inquiry. "Nothing's up with me…"

"You haven't spoken to me once since we left the marina, and you spent the whole time in the car texting Taylor."

"Uh, it was important," she responded with a condescending air. "I couldn't just ignore her or she'd totally freak out."

"Well what was so important?"

Summer's eyes flickered downward for a moment as she hesitated before replying breezily and dismissively. "It was girl stuff. And it's none of your business."

"Ah!" Seth halted any attempts of hers to escape the conversation with a raised finger. "I saw that. You totally hesitated before you answered. You were thinking up a lie."

He was met with an indignant scoff. "You did not just call me a liar! It was girl stuff, and it's our business, so instead of being an obnoxious ass why don't you just wait until I'm ready to tell you what we were talking about!" she huffed.

"But you do admit it's something that you should tell me," he declared victoriously, completely disregarding everything else she had said.

"You are such a jerk!" Summer slapped him hard across the shoulder. And it was a real slap, far more forceful and intent on hurting him than the usual blows she laid to him.

"Ow, woman!" Seth snapped in response, grasping his aching shoulder. "What is the matter with you? Last night and this morning you couldn't keep your hands off of me, but now it's like all of a sudden I repulse you. God, you haven't been this hot and cold since you were pregnant with Noah," he stated distractedly as he continued to nurse his shoulder, remaining completely oblivious.

Summer's eyes bulged and her breath caught in her throat as soon as the words escaped him, and knowing her reaction had already given her away she could do nothing but wait nervously and expectantly for Seth to connect it all.

For his part he just continued to look on curiously at her, the wheels of reason and deduction slowly starting to turn in his head.

And then realization washed over his features.

How? They had tried for so long and nothing…

But now, after not really trying or thinking about it for almost a year, she was…

"You're pregnant..." Seth stated more than asked, his face fixed in a blank stare at her.

Summer bit her lip nervously and nodded. "I think so. I have an appointment with Dr. Andrews on Wednesday."

"Wow…" he exhaled slowly, his feelings still masked behind his shocked and disbelieving expression.

After several moments of silence the nagging insecurity became too much for Summer and she forced herself to speak.

"Seth… Are you going to say something?"

At the sound of her voice his eyes focused on her and he blinked a few times. "Like what?"

"Like how do you feel about this?"

"_How do I feel_--?" he repeated curiously, his mind finally connecting how nervous and pale she looked. "Sum, this is incredible!"

Her eyes bulged and a relieved smile immediately spread across her lips. "Really?"

"Of course!" he answered immediately as he pulled her into a celebratory hug. "Why wouldn't I be completely ecstatic about this?"

"I was just…" Summer hesitated as she pulled back. "I was worried that you'd be so busy with your writing and this new book – not to mention this whole new movie thing – It was just… I didn't know if you'd still be ready for this right now…"

"Sum," Seth addressed her softly as he brushed some stray hairs behind her ear, "You have to know that no matter what else is going on I'm always going to choose you and our life together over anything else. You'll always come first."

"I know," she sighed, moving her eyes downward and away from his probing ones, embarrassed that he felt he needed to reassure her. "I just don't want you to feel like you have to drop all these great things that are happening to you right now."

"I know I don't have to, but I want to... or I at least want to put them on hold. Sum, I love writing, and yeah, the attention and the publicity aren't so bad either," he grinned when she smiled slightly at his joke, "but I swear that I'm always happiest when I'm with you and Noah. When you were pregnant, and that first year after Noah was born were definitely the most tiring months _OF MY LIFE_," he made sure to ennunciate each word to make sure it was clear, "...but they were also the most exciting. I would never want to miss that. Not for all the movie or book deals in the world."

Summer rolled her eyes but she was beaming. "You know that was way too cheesy. Did you get that from one of your books or something?"

"No…" he laughed and grinned back. "… _surprisingly_. That was just an impromptu declaration of love and devotion that I'm just so good at coming up with at exactly the right moments."

She laughed, but then her face turned serious again as she brought her hands up to rest on his shoulders. "So you're really happy?" Her eyes bore deep into his as she gripped his shoulders, searching for any signs of doubt. She couldn't find any.

"I'm so happy right now I don't even know what to say. We're having another baby. That's amazing! If it weren't for your delicate condition I'd probably be pushing you into the cabin right now to show you just how happy I really am."

Summer was still grinning widely as he finished his bout of rambling. Words couldn't describe the amount of relief washing through her at that moment. She sometimes thought she knew Seth better than she knew herself, but she figured the hormones must already be wreaking havoc on her insecurities and doubts because she had been incredibly worried about how he would feel about this. Even with Taylor and her own experience to reassure her she had still managed to freak herself out with all the possible scenarios for how he could react.

Summer's momentary silence had begun to grate on Seth's own nerves and he looked at her curiously as he massaged his fingertips into her sides nervously. "You're happy, right?"

This brought her out of her silent thoughts and she smiled up at him brightly. "_Ecstatic_," she used his own word to tease him sweetly. "I'm just still really surprised. I was convinced that this wasn't going to happen again."

"Maybe all those problems before were just the universe's way of telling us to wait a little longer."

She nodded, but then became distracted as a thought came to her. "We have so many calls to make tomorrow. We're going to have to plan a baby shower... And I have to talk to my office about maternity leave... We have to tell your parents and my dad…"

"And Ryan and Taylor," he added helpfully, wrapping his arms fully around her waist and pulling her against him as he delighted in the feelings of happiness and contentment washing over him as she rambled on excitedly.

Her arms snaked around his neck as a guilty smile spread across her face. "Actually…"

The realization lit across Seth's face and he laughed lightly. "Ohhhhh... So that's what you and Taylor were being so hush, hush about earlier… And why you were texting so furiously in the car."

"Kind of…"

"Does Ryan know?"

"Well, I told Taylor not to tell him, but we all know how well Taylor keeps secrets from Ryan."

"About as well as I keep secrets from you?" he grinned.

"Exactly. Ooh! But…" she added excitedly. "I have a secret for you about Taylor that you have to promise you won't tell Ryan about…"

"Okay…"

"Taylor thinks she's pregnant too!"

"Seriously!?!" Seth's eyes bulged.

"Totally!"

"Buts she's, like, the queen of safe sex…?"

"Vodka and a broken condom," Summer stated expertly in lieu of an explanation.

"How romantic…"

"'Cause you're always so romantic whenever you want to have sex…"

"Hey," he objected indignantly. "I can be romantic sometimes. Last night, for example…"

She tried to shrug nonchalantly while she hid her smirk against his neck, quickly realizing that her statement, even if only intent on teasing him in fun, held little support.

"And I brought you champagne…" he gestured to the forgotten glass sat on the railing.

"While I'm pregnant," she scoffed teasingly as she pulled her face away from his shoulder to look up at him smugly.

"I didn't know that at the time, though, so the thought still counts," he pouted though he was only joking. "And what about this whole night?" he questioned in mock indignation. "_I_ arrange for my parents to watch Noah so that we can spend all night alone on a romantic boat ride, but I'm _not_ romantic?"

"Okay, I guess you can be a little romantic sometimes…" she admitted in playful reluctance.

Seth scoffed and narrowed his eyes before seizing her mouth in a fervent kiss. She let out a moan of shock and pleasure as his lips found hers and he pressed her gently against the railing. His tongue thrust insistently into her mouth, massaging against hers, and she welcomed it by wrapping her arms tighter around his neck and burying her fingers in his unruly, sea-blown hair.

Her head was swimming in a hazy fog of bliss and she couldn't remember exactly what she had been saying to get him to do this, but she was happy she'd hit the right spot. Her playful taunting always tended to make him react like this.

"I can be _really_ romantic…" Seth stated firmly in a quiet whisper when he finally pulled back.

Summer swallowed as her eyes bore into his and she responded in an equally hushed tone. "That was actually probably more passionate than just romantic, if you want to be techni– _Mmmm_."

She was cut off by Seth's lips catching hers again and this time she let herself fall prey to his charm and allure, collapsing into his chest as he wrapped her in an even tighter embrace and pressed her petite form flush up against his body so that she could feel everythings happening to him as it happened.

He groaned when she intentionally moved her hips against his and he felt her grind deliberately against his rapidly growing erection. One of his hands untangled itself from behind her back and gripped the rail beside her to steady himself.

As he got lost in her his hand slid a little too far to his left where it knocked the forgotten champagne glass, sending it and its contents crashing to the deck, the crystal shattering in a sea of champagne.

Seth pulled away at the sound and they both looked at the disturbance for only a second before Seth shrugged, uncaring, and mumbled against her mouth, "You weren't going to drink it anyway…" before fully claiming her lips again.

He wrapped her securely in his arms before turning her away from the railing and slowly urging her backwards towards the steps that led to the cabin. She complied easily, trusting him to guide her in the right direction, even with both their eyes closed and their senses focused fully on what they were doing ot each other.

When they reached the entrance to the stairway he reluctantly pulled away.

"What?" she asked breathlessly, her lips continuing to pursue his even as he pulled back.

"The stairs… I don't want you to trip…"

She blinked a few times as realization dawned on her and she looked behind her to the dark staircase. She'd barely even realized they'd moved away from the railing.

"Oh…"

"Yeah," Seth grinned sweetly as he leaned down and kissed her softly once more before turning her around and dusting light kisses all across the back of her bare neck and shoulders as she slowly led the way down the steps.

When they reached the bottom and she was met with the sight of dozens of rose pedals scattered across the queen-sized bed and a few strategically placed candles giving the cabin a warm glow.

"Cohen…" she gasped in joyous surprise.

""Yeah, so I know according to you I'm not really the cheesy romantic type, but…" he explained with a shrug, blushing like he always used to in high school whenever he was worried he was bordering on the edge between cheesy and excessive, "I just thought you might like it. And I totally didn't know the circumstances when I had them put the champagne on ice while they were in here stocking everything earlier," he added in reference to the already open champagne bottle chilling in a basin next to the bed.

"I was totally joking before about you not being romantic." She amended quickly as she spun on her heel and smiled widely up at him, her arms wrapping around his neck so her fingers could tangling in his hair. "I can't believe you did this, Cohen. I mean, you had to know you were already going to get laid tonight whether you were all romantic or not…" she teased him.

"Duh, I know how hot you are for me –" He caught her hand before it could slap his shoulder. "I just wanted you to know that I appreciate you… And I appreciate you being cool about this whole trip even when Tony kept throwing all that crap at us."

"I was cool with _you_," she corrected. "I'll kill him if I ever see him around our house again," she stated matter-of-factly.

"Yeah, he knows…"

"Seriously, I'll castrate him," she replied, still not letting up on the intensity of her hatred for his seedy manager.

"How weird is it that I still find you totally hot when you're angry," Seth grinned, completely ignoring the point of her anger, as he snaked his arms around her back and pulled her against him, burying his face against her neck. "You're eyes get all dark and your cheeks get all red…" he whispered against her skin as his tongue ventured out to lightly brush over the area his lips had just been massaging. "So hot…"

"Cohen…" Summer tried her best to stay focused all the while arching her neck to give him free reign over the sensitive skin. "I was being serious. That skeazy creep wouldn't let you come home, lied to you about what he was really planning, and forced you to go to some sleazy club where a bunch of skanky strippers were probably trying to slut there stuff all over you."

"Hey…" he sighed next to her ear before brushing his lips against it. "I think he's a skeazy creep too, but at the same time all his skeazyness lends itself well to my career… But I promise I did not and never will let any of those gross skanks slut their stuff all over me."

"And you didn't think any of them were hot, right?"

He pulled back to look at her incredulously. "Have you even seen yourself in lingerie?" he stated in way of explanation. "Nothing else even comes close to hot next to you."

"Tony thinks they're hot…" Her pouty bottom lip was driving him crazy.

"Well, Tony is a prick…" Seth mumbled as he attached his lips to the neglected side of her neck to treat it to the same attention he had previously been lavishing on her other side. "Or, at the very least, all he ever does is think with his," he added as an afterthought. "Now, do you think we can stop talking about Tony and skanks? Both images are kind of a turnoff, especially when they're put together."

As Seth nibbled slightly at her collarbone Summer lost all track of her previous thought and nodded dazedly in consent as her head lulled to the side.

"Besides…" he added in a husky whisper as he ran his tongue over the area he had just been biting at. "We have some celebrating to do, and while we can't exactly break into the liquor cabinet I have a plethora of other ideas that don't involve any alcohol at all. Not to mention, after talking about it I really, _really_ have an urge to see you in your some lingerie right now…"

"How do you even know I'm wearing underwear?" she challenged in a smooth whisper against his ear.

Without missing a beat he slid a hand swiftly up her smooth thigh and under her dress where he grasped her satin-clad ass.

"I have my ways…" he answered smugly before capturing her mouth in a heated kiss.

She responded with equal zeal, all too willing to leave their characteristic bantering behind for the moment, or, if she had her way, the entire night. Verbal foreplay always got them hot, but it started to grate on her after awhile when all she really wanted to do was shut him up by thrusting her tongue down his throat.

The kiss only grew in intensity as Seth slowly eased her back towards the bed, all the while slipping his hand further and further under her dress and up her bare back. He separated from her long enough to pull it over her head, tossing it aside just seconds before he lowered her down softly into the pillowy haven of the mattress.

He stood back to admire the sight of her in a snug fitting black satin underwear set as she adjusted herself onto the bed, waiting impatiently for him to come and join her.

"Good Lord, you're incredible…" he whispered mostly just for his own reassurance before he was lowering himself down on top of her.

------------------------------------------

It was a good time later when they finally finished, both breathless and sated for the time being. It had been an exhaustingly passionate experience that left them both panting and gasping for air.

"Holy shit, Summer," Seth exhaled slowly as he crashed back into the bed and brought her with him, cradling her against his chest. He pressed a firm kiss against the top of her head before speaking in a raspy undertone, "Where the hell did that come from?"

"I have no idea," she laughed softly against his chest. "But I liked it."

"It must be the hormones…"

"If I wasn't so completely exhausted right now I would hit you."

"It's a good thing I wore you out then."

Seth only grinned back when she rolled her eyes and informed him that she had been the one on top while he had just enjoyed the ride.

"Then why were you telling me to keep going if you were doing everything?"

"You know what, Cohen?" she asked rhetorically as she stretched herself out over him until her face hovered just inches above him. "Sometimes I really don't like you."

"But you always love me…" he replied with a frustratingly smug smirk before he lifted his head so their lips met in a tender kiss.

"_You love me_…" Summer replied when she pulled back, flipping his previous statement around on him.

"Eh…" Seth shrugged, pretending to consider it. Before he could finish she had pinched the skin of his shoulder between her thumb and forefinger and had started to twist. "Ahh! Okay, Okay! You're right, I love you!" he gasped in pain as he jerked his shoulder away.

"Thanks, Cohen. I love you too."

"Well, how could I not be a sucker for all the violent tendencies you love to direct at me?" he replied in mock contempt. Upon her glare he quickly recoiled. "I should shut up before you really do stop loving me, huh?"

She nodded, her face set in a stern line though her eyes were smiling. "It would be a good idea."

They rested in silence for awhile, a comfortable air settling in the room as Seth soothingly stroked his hands up and down her bare arms and over her smooth legs, lulling her into a peaceful state of relaxation.

Finally a hand slid over her stomach, his fingers tenderly gliding over the smooth flesh as he posed softly, "How long have you known?"

"I took the test a few days ago," she replied just as quietly, catching one of his roaming hands with hers and bringing it to her lips. She kissed the tips softly before moving to the palm, then his wrist, her lips brushing sensuously over each spot.

"Why didn't you tell me before?" he questioned curiously as the fingertips of his free hand ghosted affectionately over her side, sliding over her ribs, down to her hip, and back up again.

"I wanted to tell you in person."

"Oh," he nodded, unreadable. "I'm happy you waited," he finally decided aloud after a few seconds of thought.

She narrowed her eyes curiously. "Why?"

"This was the best homecoming present ever," he stated simply.

"Cohen…" Summer cooed in awe as she dropped his hand and cupped his face, bringing his lips to hers in a gentle kiss. "You are so sweet."

"I try," he grinned warmly as he gently rolled her onto her back and reclaimed her lips.

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Summer didn't know what time it was when she awoke the next morning. All she knew was that there was an incredibly obnoxious ringing in her ears that was making her want to hit something.

She lifted her head from its resting place on Seth's chest and looked dazedly around the room for the source of the noise. When she saw his cell phone blinking on the table next to the bed she grunted irritably before dropping her head back to his chest.

"Cohen…" she croaked against his skin, her voice still heavy with sleep.

"Hmm?" he grunted.

"Your phone…"

"Ignore it," he groaned as he rolled them over and buried his face against her neck, immediately drifting back to sleep.

"It could be your parents," she urged him, trying to push up on the dead weight of his body. "What if it's something about Noah?"

"Aw... Summer…" he groaned as he rolled over and grabbed the phone, realizing there was no way he could ignore it after she brought up Noah.

He sighed in frustration when he read the caller ID. "It's Tony."

"Ignore it," she mumbled, repeating his earlier sentiment before falling back into her pillow.

"It might be important," he reasoned as he flipped open the phone, all the while trying to avoid Summer's stony glare.

"Yeah?" he huffed irritably when he finally answered.

Summer watched on expectantly as she waited for some indication about what the little grease ball wanted.

"Damnit, Tony," Seth grunted after a few seconds. "You had to call at –" he glanced at the wall clock on the opposite side of the cabin, "seven thirty in the morning for that?"

There was another pause before Seth rolled his eyes. "I don't care; it could have waited a few more hours. I told you that I didn't want to hear anything about publicity, or book tours, or interviews at all this weekend." He listened impatiently as Tony said something else. "No, that doesn't mean I'm going to agree to it if you call back Monday!" Another pause ensued along with more grunting and eye rolling on Seth's part. "Because I have more important things to do next week… Summer has a doctor's appointment… No I'm not going to ask her to change it!... No, I don't _have_ to be there; I _want _to!... Well, some things are more important than your share of my profits… Listen, Tony, now isn't really a good time… Wha – Are you a woman or something? Stop whining about me blowing you off for Summer. Why don't you go find another client to harass, then you could spend less time worrying about me… No, Tony, I _really_ can't go to Chicago next week for another press tour… Okay, Tony, I've really got to go now; I'll call you in a few days or something… No, I won't have changed my mind by then… No… Tony, stop talking… Tony… I'm seriously going to hang up now… No, seriously, I have to go… Summer looks like she wants to murder both of us right now… Alright; okay; bye, Tony."

When he finally shut the phone and tossed it back onto the nightstand Summer was glaring dangerously.

"He has no idea how violent I can really be does he?"

"No, but I'll be sure to tell him he's about to find out…"

"What did he want?" she questioned scathingly in a tone that even made Seth afraid to talk to her.

"Chicago…" he answered hesitantly, trying to deflect any additional anger his answer might bring her. "He said he'd already lined up three interviews for next week."

"That asshole!" she spat disdainfully. "Does he not even understand the concept of _a home _and _a_ _family_ that you might actually want to spend more than two days with?"

"I doubt it. I think he may have actually been raised by wolves. At the very least he must've been an orphan in one of those really grungy, neglected children's homes... Like in _Annie_."

A smile twitched at the side of her face before she quickly turned it to a glare. "Don't even try to be funny. I cannot believe after all the shit he pulls you still write him a paycheck every week."

"Summer…" he tried to calm her, carressing her shoulders and arms soothingly. She usually couldn't resist it. "I know the guy is a certified jerk-off, but he's kind of also the reason I am where I am today. I owe him something…"

"Yeah, well he owes you and your family some respect too then," she mumbled, her lips protruding in an adorable pout that she probably didn't even realize she was doing.

"I know. And I'll tell him that if he doesn't stop being such an ass I really am going to start rethinking our arrangement… And I'm going to tell him that he really needs to lay off for the next year and a half while we… get acquainted with our new addition."

"You promise you'll tell him to really leave us alone for a little awhile? Not like when he agrees to give you a break for a few months but then calls begging you to do something after a few weeks."

"I swear," he assured her as he grasped her hand and brought it to his lips, kissing her wedding ring softly in a sort of silent pledge.

"And tell him that if he even thinks about trying to pressure you into doing something I will do things to him that will probably get me a life sentence."

"Sometimes I think that'd be a fitting punishment for him… though I'd hate to see you locked up," he added off her glare. "But I know you could probably rock the orange pretty well."

She rolled her eyes but a reluctant grin spread across her cheeks. "Well, duh."

"So…" Seth spoke after a few moments of silence. "My parents said that we didn't have to pick Noah up until this afternoon… Any suggestions for what to do until then?" he raised his eyebrows suggestively.

"Sleep," she offered playfully.

"Aww, too bad you said you can't get back to sleep once you're already up."

"Well then, what do you suggest?"

"Oh, I had a few things in mind…" He slid his fingers below the sheets and up her thigh as he bobbed his eyebrows temptingly.

"Well I guess…" she sighed in fake reluctance, as she slung her arms around his neck and swung a leg over his thighs. "But you have some making up to do after that early morning phone call before I let you have that…"

"Of course," Seth agreed wholeheartedly, all too eager to get started on his repayment. "But what exactly do you want me to do to make it up to you?" he played along, his fingers toying across the apex of her thighs.

Summer had to dig her teeth into her bottom lip to restrain her reaction before she could reply. "Oh… you're a smart b – _Ah_!" his hand slipped further. "– _Boy_," she finished, gasping. "I think you've _already_ figured out what to do."

----------------------------------

"Oh my god, you're amazing," Summer gasped almost an hour later, exhausted after Seth's very successful attempt at atoning for his earlier error.

"_You're_ amazing," he argued in equal admiration, bringing his mouth down on hers in a heated kiss. "I love you so much," he whispered breathily against her lips when he finally relented on the kiss. "And I'm with you. I'll kill Tony if he ever tries to keep me away from you for that long again."

"You are so forgiven for talking to him this morning, by the way…"

"Ah, man," he grinned charmingly as he placed sweet kisses across her neck and shoulders. "We've got a good five hours before we have to be at my parents' house… I was hoping I'd have to use _at least_ half of that time to win you over…"

"Mm," she moaned and smiled as his lips parted and he suckled gently on her pulse point. "Then I retract my forgiveness… you just have to give me a little time to recover before you get back to work…"

"Ugh… don't say work," he groaned.

"Business?" she offered as she threaded her fingers through his hair and angled his head so she could nibble at his earlobe.

"Better…" he moaned as her attention to his ear began to distract him from the conversation.

"Pleasure…?" she whispered her final offer in a seductively husky voice that shot straight to his groin.

"Mm… definitely," he groaned into her hair. "Pleasure trumps business any day."

"Ohh," she cooed in mock sympathy. "Tony'll be so disappointed. He'll have to find a new man-crush to bother everyday."

"Too bad," Seth frowned sarcastically.

"He'll get over it," she shrugged indifferently before capturing his lips in a fiery kiss, sufficiently erasing all thoughts of anyone else besides each other from their minds.

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So that's it. Like I said, look for a possible follow-up, or at the very least I have some more one shots on the way.

Thanks for reading. Please review for this last chapter. It took a long time and a lot of energy and It'd be nice to know it was appreciated.


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